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What is this coin?

bdstorybdstory Posts: 8
in World & Ancient Coins Forum
Hello everyone, I am a new member here. Wanted to log in and say hi and post my first what is this question?

I recently aquired a 1903 gold Italian coin but I cannot for the life of me find any information on it! Could some of you guru's out there take a look and let me know what you think?

On the front it says Vittorio Emanuele III
On the back it says 1903 L.100 Regno D'Italia
There appears to be a mint mark or something on it, the letter R.

Thanks,

Bill

Comments

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    MSD61MSD61 Posts: 3,382 ✭
    Hi and welcome,
    Seems to me you have a 1903R 100 Lire gold coin. The ruler was Vittorio Emanuele III and the coin is .900 gold .9334 oz with a weight of 32 grams. There were only 916 of these coins struck and worth this in these grades:
    Fine 1,800
    VF 3,500
    XF 7,500
    Unc 15,000 there is no listing for grade BU.

    Hope that helps ya!!
    Micheál
    Omnicoin
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    coinrookiecoinrookie Posts: 794
    1903 R 100 Lira
    weight 32.2580 grams
    mintage = 916
    fine = $1,800
    vf = $3,500
    xf = $7,500
    uncirculated = $15,000
    Micheal is a better typist



    Steve
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    satootokosatootoko Posts: 2,720
    Hi Bill, and welcome to the forum.

    << <i>I cannot for the life of me find any information on it! >>

    One way to identify a coin is what you have done, post it here with pictures. Another is to visit your local public library and check the Standard Catalog of World Coins by Krause & Mishler. Most libraries have it, or can get it on inter-library loan. It's 4 large phone book-sized volumes covering the 17th Century on.

    What you have is cataloged as KM#39, a 100 Lire gold coin minted at Rome (the "R" mintmark which appears on most, if not all, pre-Euro modern Italian coins). It is 32.258g of .900 gold, having an actual gold weight of .9334 gold (22.4k), featuring a bust of King Victor Emanuele III..

    Michael AND Steve are faster typists!image
    Roy


    image
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    bdstorybdstory Posts: 8
    Woah, thanks. This is only the 2nd gold coin I have ever owned. Now I have to decide what to do with it. I would say its in UNC condition. Its very pristine. I found it in a box of old italian coins mixed in.

    I would be reluctant to mail this thing to anyone to grade because of its possible value, any advice on what to do from here. I would probably want to sell it.

    Thanks,
    Bill
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    AuldFartteAuldFartte Posts: 4,597 ✭✭✭✭
    image to the Forums, Bill. Nice coin image
    image

    My OmniCoin Collection
    My BankNoteBank Collection
    Tom, formerly in Albuquerque, NM.
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    spinaker2000spinaker2000 Posts: 4,329 ✭
    Hi Bill, I would consider getting it certified and grade by either NGC or PCGS. You can do this yourself, or thru a coin dealer in your area. It will cost a little, but you will make that money back in spades when you sell it. image Good luck!!
    Terry

    eBay Store

    DPOTD Jan 2005, Meet the Darksiders
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    cachemancacheman Posts: 3,113 ✭✭✭
    "I would say its in UNC condition. Its very pristine. I found it in a box of old italian coins mixed in."

    image
    karlgoetz.com
    karlgoetzmedals.com
    secessionistmedals.com
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    ColinCMRColinCMR Posts: 1,482 ✭✭✭
    The obverse even looks frosted or it could be the picture.

    Welcome to the boards!
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    1jester1jester Posts: 8,638 ✭✭✭
    Welcome to the Darkside, Bill.

    Stunning and rare coin! I too feel you should get it authenticated/graded by PCGS, NGC or ANACS, particularly if you want to sell it.

    imageimageimage
    .....GOD
    image

    "Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you." -Luke 11:9

    "Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God is one LORD: And thou shalt love the LORD thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might." -Deut. 6:4-5

    "For the LORD is our judge, the LORD is our lawgiver, the LORD is our king; He will save us." -Isaiah 33:22
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    MadMuffinMadMuffin Posts: 468 ✭
    Welcome to the forums!

    That is one amazing coin you got. Did you check the weight of it? You say that you found it in a box of Italian coins and as these 100 lire coins are very rare and sought after AND are sometimes faked I would want to check the weight on a high-precision scale. I have personally seen fakes of this coin types and some of them are pretty well made. The weight would be wrong, though.

    Marcel
    Ebay user name: 00MadMuffin00
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    JZraritiesJZrarities Posts: 2,583 ✭✭✭
    Welcome.

    Oh - and nice coin.
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    bdstorybdstory Posts: 8
    Tommorow I am taking it to a reputable coin shop in town. If he deems it real gold and a possible real coin then im going to send it out for certification. Will keep you guys updated and thanks for your reply's.

    Bill
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    1960NYGiants1960NYGiants Posts: 3,456 ✭✭✭✭
    Wow, great find. Yours looks proof or proof like.

    BTW, there's also a gilt bronze pattern listed KM# Pn6 at $250 and a gold pattern listed as KM# PnA6 at $8500.

    And, welcome to the boards.

    Gene
    Gene

    Life member #369 of the Royal Canadian Numismatic Association
    Member of Canadian Association of Token Collectors

    Collector of:
    Canadian coins and pre-confederation tokens
    Darkside proof/mint sets dated 1960
    My Ebay
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    syraqsyraq Posts: 633


    << <i>This is only the 2nd gold coin I have ever owned. Now I have to decide what to do with it. I would say its in UNC condition. Its very pristine. I found it in a box of old italian coins mixed in.

    Tommorow I am taking it to a reputable coin shop in town. If he deems it real gold and a possible real coin then im going to send it out for certification. Will keep you guys updated and thanks for your reply's.

    Bill >>





    If this coin is real, and was found it in a box of old italian coins mixed in, then you hit the chance of a lifetime. This is every collector's dream and a story to tell your grandchildren. I would immediately submit it to NGC or PCGS, same day submission, because its real value is probably even higher than what the cat suggests in this high grade. Take it to the dealer to get an opinion, if he knows anything about counterfeits,but do not accept any immediate offers if his verdict is positive. Civitas, a member here, or danglen ,among others,could also give you a clue regarding its authenticity and value.


    Unfortunately though, Italian copies are well known for their big numbers and often good quality. It's not about it being real gold, because good counterfeits usuallly have the same composition with the originals, but quite frankly and without wanting to discourage you, I will be very surprised if such a world gold rarity can be found in an old box. Remember, the only valuable coins and collectables in general, that people are likely to inherit or buy from someone who inherited them, are the ones that had a value back then too, items that were rare and expensive at any time,and that someone had paid and collected them in his own time. A usual misconception is the one that leads most non coin related people, to think that their (for ex.) grandmother's jar full of circulated change of the time, no matter how old,are of some great value. Unfortunately, their only value is sentimental. image
    Dimitri



    DPOTD-1
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    bdstorybdstory Posts: 8
    Well, I went to the coin shop and talk to the guys down there. They took the coin out of the mylar holder and weighed it. They told me it was around 1/2 an ounce. Then they literally bounced it on the counter a couple times, to hear the sound it made I guess.

    Overall I was pretty unimpressed by them. They said it was a fake and I guess it probably is a fake. Im going to go ahead and get a scale and weigh it myself. They were sort of busy and acted like they didnt have time to deal with me. Especially after they weighed the coin. Probably thought I had some devious intentions or something I dont know.

    Anyways, thanks for the info folks, was fun while it lasted anyways.

    Bill
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    1jester1jester Posts: 8,638 ✭✭✭
    Bill, I'm sorry to hear about your unprofessional treatment at the coin shop. They had no right to manhandle your coin like that. If it is real, they did serious and irreparable damage to the coin. If it's fake, they still had no right to abuse your property. That infuriates me.

    imageimageimage
    .....GOD
    image

    "Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you." -Luke 11:9

    "Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God is one LORD: And thou shalt love the LORD thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might." -Deut. 6:4-5

    "For the LORD is our judge, the LORD is our lawgiver, the LORD is our king; He will save us." -Isaiah 33:22
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    Conder101Conder101 Posts: 10,536 ✭


    << <i>They told me it was around 1/2 an ounce. Then they literally bounced it on the counter a couple times, to hear the sound it made I guess. >>


    AROUND a half an oz? Bounced it on the counter!!! Forget those idiots, they have no idea what they are doing or what they were looking at. Anything they told you can't be trusted and will have to be rechecked.

    If that had been my coin, after I got it back I'd have probably asked to see some expensive item they had and then bounced it on the counter myself to see what theirs sounded like. Then when they start to have a fit just explain I was just doing the same thing they did so it must be OK isn't it?

    (No I probably wouldn't because wouldn't want to damage the coin. )
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