Hey, I found an Italian 5 centesimi coin from 1861. I tried to scan the coin, it failed. sorry for that. I'll try to describe the coin. As I said the coin was from 1861, 5 centesimi this info is surrounded by a laurel wreath.Under the laurel wreath is an N. the other side sais, king vittorio emanuele 2 of Italy.With his head of course Has anyone an idea of the value of this coin ?? Thanks anyway
Welcome to the Forum jeroentje. The "N" is a mint mark indicating the Naples Mint, which was only in operation from 1861-67. The same coin was also minted at Bologna (1861) and Milan, (1861-87). All three had served as mints for various Italian States prior to the unification. In 1861 Vittorio Emanuele II (sometimes anglicized as Victor Emanuel), King of Sardinia, became the first king of a unified Italy, and this coin (catalog No. KM#3.3) was part of the initial issue of coins for "Italy". Previously the various Italian States had each issued its own coinage. According to the 3rd Ed. of the Standard Catalog of World Coins, 19th Century, the mintage was 103,707,000; and it's value is 60¢ Fine, $1.50 Very Fine, $7.50 Extra Fine, and $50 Uncirculated. There is a later edition of the catalog, but the prices are probably the same.
Fairly common piece, for reference see: http://incuso.altervista.org/5_centesimi_ve2.php Prices are a bit higher here in Italy, but not much more. M.
There are two types of 2 lire issued by Vittorio Emanuele II in 1861, both are very rare: http://numismatica-italiana.lamoneta.it/moneta/W-REE/11 http://numismatica-italiana.lamoneta.it/moneta/W-VE2/12 (click on € symbol for values) As for all rare coins, there are fakes, please send an image of your coin, with informations about weight and diameter. petronius
