Savoy - Kingdom of Italy

What you will find in this category

The coins of the Savoy as kings of Italy, divided by sovereign:

• Vittorio Emanuele II, King of Italy from 1861 to 1878: gold 20 Lire from the Turin, Milan and Rome mints, gold 10, 50 and 100 Lire, silver 5 Lire, lire and centesimi of the “Stemma” and “Valore” types. There are also some 20 Lire struck in Genoa between 1850 and 1859, when he was King of Sardinia.
• Vittorio Emanuele II Re Eletto: coins of 1859 and 1860, struck before the proclamation of the Kingdom.
• Umberto I, king from 1878 to 1900: mainly gold 20 Lire, often in high grade and with date varieties, then gold 50 and 100 Lire, silver 5 and 2 Lire.
• Vittorio Emanuele III, king from 1900 to 1946: gold of the “Aquila araldica”, “Aratrice”, “Fascione” and “Vetta d'Italia” types, the pairs of 100 and 50 Lire from the 1930s, silver, lire and centesimi up to 1943.

The Savoy coins from before 1861 are in House of Savoy; the Italian gold coins are also gathered in Italian Gold Coins.

Weights and fineness of the most common coins

From 1865 Italy was part of the Latin Monetary Union: its gold coins have the same weight and fineness as the francs of France, Belgium and Switzerland.

The table does not apply to the gold of 1931–1937 (100 Lire “Italia su prora”, 50 Lire “Littore”, 100 and 50 Lire “Impero”) or to the silver lire of the “Stemma” type (1861–1863), which have different weights or fineness.

How to read the item pages

For these coins the price depends on year, mint, variety, grade and rarity, not only on the metal. Two 20 Lire of the same sovereign can have very different prices.

• Grade, from the best: FDC (Uncirculated, never circulated), qFDC (About Uncirculated), SPL (Extremely Fine), qSPL (about Extremely Fine), BB (Very Fine: light wear, details legible), MB (Fine: evident wear). Two grades joined, such as qFDC/FDC, indicate a piece between the two grades.
• Rarity: R1 rare, R2 very rare, R3 extremely rare, R4 exceedingly rare, R5 of the highest rarity, on the scale of the catalogues. In the catalogue filters you will find the same entries written out in full.
• Mint: in the name it appears in full or as a letter, for example M for Milan, T for Turin, R for Rome.

Hovering over the codes on the item page shows their explanation. You can filter the catalogue by period, grade, price and rarity.

Frequently asked questions

What does the price of these coins depend on?

These are collector coins and the price is the one shown on the item page. For gold priced on the gold price, see Investment Gold Coins.

Can I get more information about a piece?

Yes. Every item page has the “Ask about this piece” button.

Can I collect the coin in person?

Yes, free of charge, in Verbania (via Ruga 12) or Milan (via San Raffaele 1). Otherwise we ship with insured delivery, at a rate based on the order value. Payment is by bank transfer.

Do you buy coins of the Kingdom of Italy?

Yes. If you have coins to sell, write to us with a few photos or visit one of our two branches.