Coin dealer directory
History of money: Italy
From the first coins to today – and where to find coin dealers.
Italy is where Roman coinage began – the denarius of 211 BC – and where medieval Europe rediscovered gold: Florence's florin and Genoa's genovino in 1252, Venice's ducat in 1284. For centuries, dozens of Italian states, cities and popes struck their own coins.
After unification, the Kingdom of Italy introduced the Italian lira in 1861, and Italy joined the Latin Monetary Union in 1865; the gold 20-lire piece is still known as the 'marengo'. Inflation after the Second World War made the lira one of Europe's weakest currencies; the silver 500-lire 'Caravelle' (1958–1967) is a favourite of collectors.
Italy adopted the euro in 2002 (1,936.27 lire per euro). San Marino and the Vatican issue their own euro coins in small numbers, which is why their sets often trade above face value.
Coin dealers – Italy
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