San Marino 1998-R 1/2 scudo

from Stack's Bowers May 2023 Collector's Choice sale, lot 73271

This specimen was lot 73271 in Stack's Bowers Collector's Choice sale (Costa Mesa, CA, May 2023), where it sold for $192. The catalog description^[1] noted, "SAN MARINO. 1/2 Scudo, 1998-R. Rome Mint. PCGS PROOF-68 Deep Cameo. This beautiful and nearly-flawless example delivers deeply frosted devices and silken mirrored fields." The SCWC notes that of the 8,000 made, 1,915 were melted at the mint, likely unsold. San Marino is in the Italian Apennines and is a protectorate of Italy but remains independent. It used the obsolete scudo as the denomination for its gold commemoratives. The half scudo was used only for a few NCLT's in 1998-2000. This type was struck in Rome to honor the Last Supper altho the pose depicted does not match da Vinci's famous work. San Marino now uses the euro.

Recorded mintage: 8,000 proofs.

Specification: 1.61 g, 0.900 fine gold, 14 mm diameter, 0.0466 troy oz AGW.

Catalog reference: Fr-76; KM-416.

Source:

• Friedberg, Arthur L. and Ira S. Friedberg, Gold Coins of the World, From Ancient Times to the Present, 9th ed., Clifton, NJ: Coin and Currency Institute, 2017.
• Gigante, Fabio, Gigante 2016: Catalogo Nazionale delle Monete Italiano Dal '700 All'Euro, 24a ed. Varese, Italy, 2015.
• Michael, Thomas, and Tracy L. Schmidt, Standard Catalog of World Coins, 1901-2000, 47th ed., Iola, WI: Krause Publications, 2019.
• Montenegro, Eupremio, Montenegro 2015: Manuale del Collezionista di Monete Italiane, 30 ed., Torino, Italy: Montenegro s.a.s., 2014.
• ^[1]Orsini, Matt, Kyle Ponterio and Jeremy Bostwick, February 2023 World Collectors Choice Online Auction, featuring the David Sterling Collection, Costa Mesa, CA: Stack's Bowers Galleries, Inc., 2023.

Link to:

• 1997 2 scudi, Michelangelo
• 1997 5 scudi, the Annunciation
• 1998-R 10000 lire, FIFA World Cup, France
• 1999 5 scudi, Botticelli's Birth of Venus
• 2002-R 2 scudi, Cimabue's Madonna and Child
• Coins and currency dated 1998