Italy (Kingdom of Napoleon Bonaparte). 20 Lire Gold Coin of 1809.
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Obverse: Head of Napoleon I. as French Emperor and King of Italy.
Legend: NAPOLEONE IMPERATORE E RE (privy mark) 1809 M (privy mark)
Reverse: Crowned coat of arms with star above eagle with composite shield of the italian sub-states and order around.
Legend: REGON D´ITALIA / 20. LIRE
Mintage: 53,000 pieces only.
Mint Place: Milan (Italy)
Reference: Pagani 19, Schlumberger 15, Friedberg 7, KM-11.
Material: Gold (.900)
Diameter: 21 mm, Weight: 6.36gm
The kingdom of Italy was an artificial entity established by Napoleon as a buffer state against Austria. It consisted of Lombardy, Venetia, Modena, and Ancona of the Papal States. The actual ruler was Eugene de Beauharnais, stepson of Napoleon and viceroy of the kingdom.
The kingdom of Italy (Napoleonic) was given a new national currency, replacing the local coins circulating in the country: the Italian lira, of the same size, weight, and metal of the French franc. Mintage being decided by Napoleon with an imperial decree on March 21, 1806, the production of the new coins began in 1807. The monetary unit was the silver lira, which was 5 grams heavy. There were multiples of £2 (10 grams of silver) and £5 (25 grams of silver), and precious coins of £20 (6.45 grams of gold) and £40 (12.9 grams of gold). The lira was basically divided in 100 cents, and there were coins of 1 cent (2.1 grams of copper), 3 cents (6.3 grams of copper), and 10 cents (2 grams of poor silver), but following the tradition, there was a division in 20 soldi, with coins of 1 soldo (10.5 grams of copper, in practice 5 cents), 5 soldi (1.25 grams of silver), 10 soldi (2.5 grams of silver), and 15 soldi (3.75 grams of silver).
The 20 lira coin was issued by Napoleon's Kingdom of Italy from 1808 to 1814. It had a value equal to 20 lire, also equaling 20 French francs.
The coin is composed of .900 fine gold (90% gold and 10% copper). It weighs approximately 6.4509 grams and measures 20 millimeters in diameter. A left-facing portrait of King Napoleon of France and Italy is featured on the obverse, partially encircled by a caption reading "NAPOLEONE IMPERATORE E RE", which translates from Italian to English as "Napoleon Emperor and King". Below the effigy of Napoleon is the coin's year of minting, and directly below that is an "M" mint mark, which indicates the coin was struck at the mint in Milan. The coat of arms of Napoleonic Italy is displayed on the reverse, separating the words of the title "REGNO D'ITALIA" ("Kingdom of Italy") to opposite sides of the coin. Underneath the arms is the coin's value, inscribed as "20 • LIRE". The words "DIO PROTEGGE L'ITALIA" ("God protects Italy") are inscribed along the coin's edge. From 1808 to 1814, a total of 450,000 examples were struck.
A gold 20 lira pattern coin was minted in 1806, but never entered circulation. It is likely that this pattern bore the same designs as the coin that actually was issued a few years later.