The history of the 50 Lire Coin of the Italian Republic, like other coins from this period, is full of unique details that still spark discussions among collectors and numismatists today.
Whether due to the characteristics of the material or the fact that they were among the last Lire in Italian history (for now), the 50 Lire and its variations have much to tell us! Let’s now explore step by step the origin of the rare 50 Lire coins and how they have shaped the history of numismatics.
Introduction to italian 50 lire coins
Certainly, when we talk about the 50 Lire, the coin that comes to mind is the one that circulated in Italy before the introduction of the Euro in 2002. The 50 Lire many remember today is the one given by generous grandmothers, secretly from the moms, to their grandchildren to buy candies or ice cream. This is why, when we talk about coins from before the Euro era, our minds immediately go back to childhood memories, unforgettable moments for all of us!
Now, let’s start with the very first 50 Lire coins, the ones you probably have never seen. The first coin appeared in 1954, and even earlier in 1950, the mint produced PATTERN coins, which collectors now highly seek.
What is a Pattern coin? A “Pattern Coin” is a test coin minted to test the technical, artistic aspect of the coin. It is very rare and it s easily recognizable by the written “PROVA”. So, in numismatics, PATTERN is indeed the correct term to translate “PROVA,” as it refers to trial or pattern coins produced before official minting.
Let’s take a look at some of the rare 50 Lire coins that most intrigue coin collection enthusiasts.
50 lire Vulcan PATTERN COIN – Vulcano PROVA
Among the 50 Lire coins from the 1950s, collectors highly seek the Pattern coins, which the mint created before the final version of the coin officially appeared in 1954.
50 Lire Vulcan PATTERN COIN 1950/1953
- Year: 1950 Pattern Coin
- Material: acmonital
- Weight: 7.3 g
- Diameter: 25 mm
- Rarity: R3
- Year: 1953 Pattern Coin
- Material: acmonital
- Weight: 6.18 g
- Diameter: 21.8 mm
- Rarity: R4
On the obverse, facing right, the profile of a woman adorned with a crown of oak leaves, around the head the inscription REPVBBLICA ITALIANA with an outer circle, below the signatures of author and engraver: “Giuseppe Romagnoli” and “Pietro Giampaoli Inc.“
On the reverse, surrounded by a pearly border, there is instead a depiction of the naked and sculptural body of the God Vulcan, as a symbol of Industry, which forges a spade. Hephaestus holds a hammer upward in his right hand, ready to strike the anvil, while gripping a spade firmly in his left hand. The year of mintage appears on the left, and the inscription “PROVA IN ACMONITAL” runs along the edge. The face value sits on the right, with the symbol of the Rome Mint placed below it.
This is an incredibly rare Italian pattern coin, made of acmonital (Italian monetary steel), a type of metal composed mainly of steel and nickel.
The particularity of acmonital lies in its ferromagnetic capacity, meaning magnets physically attract the coins. The alloy contains iron, nickel, chromium, and vanadium, and its ferromagnetic capacity changes based on the percentage of nickel.
This alloy was already introduced in 1937 for the production of coins of the Empire Series, the coins of the Italian Republic that use the acmonital are, in addition to 50 Lire, 100 Lire and 500 Lire Bimetallic.
Value of 50 Lire Vulcan Pattern Coin 1950 – 1953
- The 50 Lire Vulcan Pattern 1950 is very sought after, on April 13, 2013 a copy of this coin in FDC was auctioned for € 3,450
- But nothing compared to what you are willing to spend on a copy of 50 Lire Vulcan Pattern 1953 in Mint: in fact, on March 18, 2017, one of these rare R4 coins was sold at auction for 11,800 €.
50 lire Vulcano 1954 Pattern Coin
In 1954 there are some examples with the word “PROVA” and some without the word “PROVA”. Those without the word PROVA are worth more and are of Rarity R5.
- Year: 1954 Pattern Coin
- Material: acmonital (81.75 Fe – 18.25 Cr)
- Weight: 6.25 g
- Diameter: 24.8 mm
- Outline: Striped
- Rarity: R3 With word PROVA / R5 Without word PROVA
Value of 50 Lire Vulcan Pattern Coin Year 1954
- On November 4, 2017 was auctioned for 6.018€ a pattern coin copy of 1954 the Mint with rarity R3
Project of 50 Lire “Anvil” Coin 1954
- Year: pattern coin 1954 (anvil)
- Material: acmonital
- Weight: 6.25 g
- Diameter: 24.8 mm
- Outline: Striped
- Rarity: R5
On the obverse, as for the pattern coin of 1950 and 1953 but larger, the woman’s head with the crown of oak leaves. Around the head the inscription REPVBBLICA ITALIANA the outer pearl circle has disappeared, below the signature “Romagnoli“.
On the reverse side, the perlined edge is no longer there, and instead of Vulcan there is a picture of the anvil and the hammer on a stone. On the right the year of mintage, under the symbol of the Mint of Rome and the face value is on the right and left of the stone.
Value of Project of 50 Lire “Anvil” Coin 1954
This coin is of extreme rarity, practically unobtainable also for the Mint Museum that today does not possess even one of them!
Notice that on 27 September 2000 one of these Mint coins was purchased for 48.300.000 Lire (24,945€).
50 lire Vulcan Coin
After producing the pattern coins between 1950 and 1954, the mint coined the 50 Lira Vulcan from 1954 to 1989 in various variants.
The 50 lire Vulcan coin shows a woman’s head with a crown of oak leaves looking to the right. Around the head of a woman, there is the inscription REPVBBLICA ITALIANA. Under the neck there is a rhombus and the indication of the authors: Romagnoli and Giampaoli Inc.
On the other side, therefore, on the reverse, there is Hephaestus, the Vulcanic God who beats the iron on an anvil. You can see the value of the coin on the right, L.50, under the sign of the Mint (Rome). On the left is engraved the year of mintage of the coin.
- The outline: striped
- Diameter: 24.8 mm
- Weight: 6.25 g
One of the peculiarities of this coin is the “French” axis.
The minting axes indicate the orientation of the two sides of the coin. If, when turning the coin on the vertical axis, the image is offset by 180°, the axis is referred to as “French style.” Conversely, if the image remains aligned, the axis is known as “German style.” Based on this principle, we can also calculate the degrees of rotation of the axes, as well as identify any errors. Such errors can make the coin particularly fascinating from a numismatic perspective, adding to its rarity and value.
Value of 50 Lire Vulcan Coin
The value of a coin depends on the balance of some parameters such as the rarity, the circulation, the year of issue and especially the state of preservation. To evaluate a coin, these parameters must align correctly. Specific acronyms (grades) serve as references to indicate the economic estimate.
- Mint State (MS or FdC in italian) This acronym indicates that coins are coins preserved at the time of minting and never circulated, ie the best state of preservation of the coin.
- About Uncirculated (AU or qFDC) a step below the Brilliant Uncirculated, that is the coin that may show signs of contact with other coins, but is almost perfect.
- Extremely Fine (SPL or EF) indicates that the coin has circulated for a short time and that it has been kept in excellent condition, keeping all the details defined and well readable.
- Very Fine (BB or VF) indicates that the coin has only some characteristics of wear and tear that do not affect the legibility.
50 Lire Vulcan 1954
The 50 Lira Vulcan pattern coin version of the 1954 Acmonital coin has a very high value. It ranges from a minimum of 125.00€ to a maximum of 1500€ for those in Mint state.
For the 50 Lire Vulcan of 1954 with a circulation equal to 17.600.00 with rarity C, the value can vary from a minimum of 10,00€ to a maximum of 330,00€.
50 Lire Vulcan 1955
The 50 Lira Vulcan coin of 1955 has a rather high circulation, equal to 70.500.000, with rarity C. We speak therefore of a common coin, therefore the value can vary from 4€ for a coin with state of conservation VF, to 185€ if it is in Mint state instead.
50 Lire Vulcan 1958
This coin ranks among the rarest, with only 825,000 minted. When preserved in excellent condition, its economic value can become truly remarkable!
So how much can the 50 Lira Vulcano of 1958 R be worth?
- Mint state starts from 1.400€
- AU or EF up to 1.000€
- VG around 40€
50 Lire Vulcan 1959
The 50 Lira Vulcan coins of 1959 with a rather short circulation NC
- VG around 15€
- Mint State up to 780€
50 Lire Vulcan 1960
The 1960 Vulcan 50 Lira coin has a low circulation, NC rarity.
- VG is worth around 12€
- MINT state up to 900€
50 Lire Vulcan 1961
Le monete da 50 Lire Vulcan del 1961 con una tiratura pari a 11.100.00, rarità NC.
- VG are worth around 4€
- Mint up to 550€
50 Lire Vulcan “Small Size”
The Small size of 50 Vulcan Lira coin or “micro” or even “reduced module” or even “minimonete”, have more or less the same characteristics as the 50 Vulcan Lira.
The mint produced them from 1990 to 1995. On the obverse, they feature a woman’s head turned to the right, surrounded by the words REPVBBLICA ITALIANA. Beneath the woman’s head, a rhombus displays the names of the authors, ROMAGNOLI and GIAMPAOLI INC.
On the reverse of the coin is always represented the God Vulcan beating the iron on the anvil. To the right the value is L.50, with under the sign of the Mint ( R ) and in the left part there is the thousandth of minting.
- Year: 1990/1995
- Total coinage: 510,755
- Material: acmonital
- Weight: 2.7 g
- Diameter: 16.55 mm
- Side dish: Smooth
- Rarity: C
The real peculiarity of this coin was the size MICRO, the coin was in fact minted with a diameter of 16.55 mm unlike the previous versions that were close to 25 mm. So much smaller than the previous version.
Precisely because of their size they had little success among the population that immediately labeled them as too small.
“The small 50 Lire? They’re practically lost in your pockets! R.D.”
It is not possible to give a high economic estimate to this type of currency, although they are much sought after by collectors. However, it is important to note that a mirror-finish version was specifically produced for them, precisely for numismatic purposes.
Value of 50 Lire Small Size
- The 50 Lira Coin Small Size minted from 1990 to 1995 have a rather low value, ranging from a value of 1.50€ for those of 1990 to 3€ for those of 1995.
- A 50 Lira Coin Small size minted in 1990, rarity C have a value of 15€ if in Mint state
- The highest circulation of these 50 Small Lire is relative to 1991, equal to 60,000,000, for this reason the value does not exceed 9 €, moreover, only for the Mint luster version.
Curiosities
A particularity of these coins is that between 1990 and 1991 they had several minting defects.
One detail relates to the rhombus above the engravers’ signatures, whether it is present or absent. Another error concerns the woman’s head, specifically whether the ear appears round or pointed. In addition, sometimes the mint symbol R or the first number of the year of minting disappears, or the minting axis is out of phase.
All these features make the coin interesting and sometimes rare.
It’s a lot of fun to find the various particularities of these years, especially those related to the rhombus and the ear.
To give just a few examples:
1990 NC 50 lire coin without rhombus and with pointed earlobe
- BB € 6
- spl €12,50
- fdc € 25
1991 NC 50 lire coin with the rhombus and lobe of the round ear
- BB € 2,50
- spl €5
- fdc € 7,50
The 50 lire of 1991 C without the rhombus and lobe of the round ear
- fdc € 0,50
The 50 lire of 1991 C without the rhombus and lobe of the pointed ear
- BB € 5
- spl €10
- fdc € 20
50 Lire (Italia Turrita)
The 50 Lire Italia Turrita coin was minted from 1996 to 1999 and was the last of the 50 Lire coins minted because in 2002 it was withdrawn, on the occasion of the introduction of the Euro. The coin has the following characteristics
On the obverse side of the coin, there is a depiction of the “Head Turrita.” From the veil, strands of braided hair emerge, symbolically representing DNA as a tribute to Italy’s origins and rich history. Surrounding the head along the edge is the inscription “REPVBBLICA ITALIANA.” Additionally, at the bottom of the coin, you can see a five-pointed star alongside the signature of the artist, L. Cretaria.
On the reverse side of the coin, the denomination “50 Lire” stands out prominently. At the top, you will find the year of minting, clearly displayed. Surrounding the coin’s edge is a series of symbols that reference other coins of the Republic. These elements are intricately intertwined, creating a distinctive and unique design that adds to the coin’s overall significance.
The 200 Lire Cogwheel, the 1 Lira cornucopia, the 20 Lire Oak Branch, the 100 Lire “Minerva” Laurel Branch and the Grape are represented with obvious reference to the 5 Lire “Uva”.
- Year: 1996/1999
- Material: Cupronickel
- Weight: 4.5 g
- Diameter: 19.2 mm
- Side dish: Smooth
- Rarity: C
Una curiosità di questa moneta riguarda proprio il suo nome: Italia Turrita; quest’ultima si ricollega alla personificazione dell’Italia, nelle vesti di una giovane donna con il capo cinto da una corona di torri. Simbolo di regalità e nobiltà.
Value of 50 Lire “Italia Turrita” Coin
The 50 Lire Italia Turrita coin, minted from 1996 to 1999, was characterised by a large circulation, with a rarity of C
- FdC is worth around 4,00€.
You did not find what you were looking for? Check these topics:
- If you are looking for Euro Rare Coins then click here.
- If you are a numismatist and you want info on 2 Euro Commemorative Coins click here.
- The Rarest Lira Coin and their great value has been dealt with here.
- If you want info about Roman and Greek Coins and other Ancient Coins and their value, you can find it here
- We talked about how to clean the rare coins, here
- Roman coins were discussed here.
- You will find everything about British Gold Sovereign Coins here.
I have a 50 lire Vulcano 1954 R5 Without word PROVA, with some scratches but still in very good condition. Is there somewhere I can take this to have it appraised and to sell? I have a few pictures too.
you can check the Italian section of the site that at the moment is better updated than the English one.
I am an Italian (born…1939….) residing in Canada for many decades .I have accumuleted several italian coins over the years and now i would like to dispose of them.I would need some guidance as to value.Any help would be appreciated. Thanks……..Mario