My husband found this 1839 silver 5 lire coin in our flower bed -- how it got to Smalltown NH is beyond us. But we cannot find it listed anywhere on the web and wonder if it's a fake of some kind. It perfectly matches several other specimens (1835 and 1842); features "Carlo Alberto D G Rex" on the obverse, and the shield, wreath, and crown on reverse. The mintmark features a P and anchor, which I've also had trouble identifying, but might be Genoa. The year though is the sticking point; and I should mention, someone has driven two thin silver brackets through the face of the coin. We thought it might have been a commemorative coin or a medal because of these brackets. The attached jpg comes from www.numismatica.it and is fairly identical to our mysterious find. I doubt it will put our kids through college, but we're interested in figuring out its legitimacy/worth... Cheers! Cam
In the standard catalog of world coins, the date of your coin is listed with a pretty low mintage. Of course, without a picture, it would be hard to say if it's fake - the catalog lists values ranging from 30 dollars in fine to 600 in uncirculated (which, if you pulled it out of a flower bed, it probably ranges toward the 30 dollar range more likely, at best, than not). If you have a scale, it should weigh in at 25 grams even. That's the first authentication point. If you can get a picture scanned and posted, someone here would, undoubtably, be able to give you better feedback. Short of that, I would take it to a professional in your area - so they can look at your coin in person. Sorry, I just reread your post about driving the brackets through the bust. That is truly unfortunate. A coin with that sort of damage retains really no real numismatic value... I'm sorry to say, that your coin is probably worth the silver in the content. Maybe a little more. Like I said, it has a fairly low mintage - but if the damage is severe, it would be difficult to find a buyer.
