Italian Regional Coins

What you will find among the regional coins

Here are the coins of the Italian mints and states that preceded the Kingdom of Italy, founded in 1861. Just over half of the pieces for sale are gold, almost all others silver; about half date from before 1800.

• Venice: gold ducats of the doges Michele Steno, Francesco Foscari and Giovanni Mocenigo, zecchini of Marino Grimani, Francesco Molin, Alvise II Mocenigo, Pietro Grimani and Francesco Loredan.
• Naples: the half scudo of Philip III, the 6 gold ducats of Ferdinando IV of Bourbon, the 30 ducats of Ferdinando I, the coins of Gioacchino Napoleone and the 120 grana piastre of Ferdinando II.
• Florence: the florin of Giovanni Gastone and the silver francesconi of Pietro Leopoldo and Leopoldo II.
• Milan: the gold doppia of Philip II, the sovrana of Joseph II, the 40 lire of Napoleon as King of Italy and those of the Provisional Government of 1848.
• Genoa: the 4, 8 and 96 lire of the biennial Doges and the 2 soldi of the Genoese Republic of 1814.
• Rome and the Papal States: the testone of Innocent XI, the scudi of Clement XII and Gregory XVI, the 3 baiocchi of the Roman Republic of 1849 and the 20 francs struck in Rome in 1813 in the name of Napoleon as emperor.
• Other states: the ducat of the Roman Senate, the gold scudo of Ercole II d'Este struck in Reggio Emilia, the half scudo of the Piedmontese Republic, the 5 francs of Lucca and Piombino with Felice and Elisa Baciocchi.
• San Marino: 5 lire of 1898 and 20 lire of 1931 and 1933 in silver. The Republic's other coins are in San Marino.

The coins of the Savoy kings of Sardinia are in the House of Savoy category; other Italian gold coins are in Italian Gold Coins.

How to read dates and names

Many early coins carry no date. When the name shows two years, as in ‘Francesco Molin - Zecchino 1646-55’, they are the years of rule of the doge or sovereign: the coin was struck in that period. For the ducat of the Roman Senate (1184-1439) the dates indicate the period to which the type is attributed.

For Venice you find “Ducat” with the earlier doges and “Zecchino” with the later ones: the same gold coin, later called zecchino.

Grade and rarity

Here the price depends mainly on grade and rarity. The pieces for sale range from MB (Fine: evident wear, design legible) to FDC (Uncirculated: no signs of circulation); most are between BB (Very Fine) and SPL (Extremely Fine). About twenty pieces are listed as rare or very rare, on the scale of the reference catalogues.

On the item page, hovering over the code shows the explanation of grade and rarity. In the catalogue you can filter by metal, period, grade, price and rarity.

Frequently asked questions

What does the price of these coins depend on?

They are collector coins: the price depends on type, grade and rarity. Coins whose price follows gold are in Investment Gold Coins.

How can I get more information about a piece?

The item page has a photo of the coin; for other questions use the “Ask about this piece” button.

Can I collect the coin in person?

Yes, free of charge, at our Verbania branch or in Milan. Otherwise we ship with insured delivery, at a rate based on the value.

Do you buy coins of the pre-unification states?

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