The weekly iAuctions here at Stack’s Bowers are a great source for collectible coins within a reasonable budget. Every month (closing on the first Sunday of the month) these iAuctions will contain world coins, with the inclusion of some very notable highlights such as this week’s highlight, a beautiful gold 100 Lire. This coin bears the left facing bust of Victor Emmanuelle III, King of Italy from 1900 to 1946. Known to history as an avid coin collector, a large portion of his collection can be viewed at the National Museum of Rome. In addition to this numismatic contribution, he was also the author of the vast 20-volume Corpus Nummorum Italicorum which is invaluable to the study of Middle-Age Italian numismatics.
The obverse displays the “Soldier King’s” bust in his typical military outfit, surrounded by the inscription “VITTORIO – EMANVELE III”. The reverse of the coin displays a female plow-women, titled: “Aratrice” — an allegory for the importance of agriculture. “REGNO D’ITALIA” (Kingdom of Italy) appears at the top of the design, with “LIRE – 100” (the denomination) appearing on the left and right of Aratrice. In exergue there is a multitude of information regarding the coin, including the name of the model, the name of the engraver: “L. Giorgi” and the date (1912), Mintmark for Rome, and the star of Italy. Be sure to check our weekly iAuctions as we will frequently feature more excellent world numismatic highlights.
Look for this and other numismatic and currency pieces in our upcoming iAuctions. These are held every Monday to Sunday, with world numismatic items being included in the sales that end on the first Sunday of every month. Preview this coin along with the rest of our iAuction items at the Browse Auctions link at www.StacksBowers.com. If you are interested in consigning your coins and paper currency to our iAuctions (whether a whole collection or a single rarity) be sure to contact one of our consignment directors by calling 800.458.4646.
