History
The base coin of the young unified Italy
Victor Emmanuel II was the first king of unified Italy, and the silver 5 lire that bore his portrait was the base coin of the young kingdom. This is not just a historical coin: it is a numismatic monument to the Risorgimento, the Italian unification movement that created modern Italy.
The 1873 year deserves special attention: certain variants (marked “R” or rare mint variants) were struck in very limited numbers and fetch markedly higher prices at auction than the standard years. With 25 grams at 900‰ silver, all variants hold 22.5 grams of fine silver. We value each coin individually: rare examples deserve a focused assessment.
