Italy 1967-R 500 lire
This specimen was lot 75344 in Stack's Bowers Collector's Choice sale (Costa Mesa, CA, February 2024), where it sold for $840. The catalog description[1] noted, "ITALY. 500 Lire, 1967-R. Rome Mint. PCGS MS-66. Pools of iridescence cover the obverse of this enchanting Gem, while the reverse shines with frosty luster." The specimen shown is from a type struck in Rome 1958-2000. The issues after 1967 seem strictly to have been for various mint sets as the catalog does not record them in circulated condition. This size and denomination proved popular and convenient for various commemoratives issued until the introduction of the euro in 2002 (see the "centennial" and "Dante" commemoratives). This example realized over eleven times the catalog value, likely because of its spectacular toning.
Recorded mintage: 2,480,000.
Specification: 11 g, 0.835 fine silver, 29.3 mm diameter, edge lettered "REPUBBLICA ITALIANA **** 1967 ****", 29.3 mm diameter, designed by Guido Veroi and Pietro Giampaoli.
Catalog reference: KM-98.
- Gigante, Fabio, Gigante 2016: Catalogo Nazionale delle Monete Italiano Dal '700 All'Euro, 24a ed. Varese, Italy, 2015.
- Montenegro, Eupremio, Montenegro 2015: Manuale del Collezionista di Monete Italiane, 30 ed., Torino, Italy: Montenegro s.a.s., 2014.
- Michael, Thomas, and Tracy L. Schmidt, Standard Catalog of World Coins, 1901-2000, 47th ed., Iola, WI: Krause Publications, 2019.
- [1]Orsini, Matt, Kyle Ponterio and Jeremy Bostwick, February 2024 World Collectors Choice Online Auction, Costa Mesa, CA: Stack's Bowers Galleries, Inc., 2024.
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