Sardinia 1817(t) L 20 lire
This specimen was lot 2851 in Sincona sale 23 (Zürich, May 2015), where it did not sell. The catalog description[1] noted,
"ITALIEN, Savoyen/Sardinien, Vittorio Emanuele I. 1802-1821 20 Lire 1817. Turin. Gutes vorzüglich. (kingdom of Sardinia, Victor Emanuel I (1802-21), twenty lire of 1817, Turin mint, good extremely fine.)"
The Duchy of Savoy was an Italian state wedged between France and Milan and was often the victim of invasions from both directions. In 1720, the duke acquired the island of Sardinia and promoted himself to king of Sardinia. In 1799, king Carlo Emanuele IV was evicted by Napoleon and the region converted to the Ligurian Republic then annexed to France. Sardinia did not recover her independence until 1815. The king was rewarded by Metternich with the republic of Genoa, which he added to his territory and opened a branch mint there in addition to his existing mint at Turin. The Turin mint used an eagle's head (shown here) as a mintmark while coins struck at Genoa sported an anchor.
Recorded mintage: 39,577.
Specification: 6.45 g, 0.900 fine gold, .186 troy oz AGW, this specimen 6.43 g.
Catalog reference: Pag. 5. Schl. 128. Fr-1129. KM 114.
- 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.
- Michael, Thomas, and Tracy L. Schmidt, Standard Catalog of World Coins, 1801-1900, 9th ed., Iola, WI: Krause Publications, 2019.
- [1]Richter, Jürg, Ruedi Kunzmann and Arne Kirsch, Numismatic Coins & Medals, Auction 23, Zürich: SINCONA AG, 2015.
Link to:
- 1816 20 lire
- 1817(t) 5 lire
- 1818(t) 20 lire
- Coins and currency dated 1817
- return to coins of the Papal States