Details
Year of Emission 1955
Quality Proof (shiny background)
Metal Gold 18Kt
Size Diameter: mm 30
Circulation World Wide Limited to 999 copies
Hundred Lire
The Hundred-Lira coin was minted from 1955 to 1989 with 8,600,000 initial pieces, commonly found it has had a series of modifications for special events and undergone modifications in form. The hundred Lira is a first class coin due to the absence of defects in coinage. It has an allegoric scene on one side and the image of Minerva in the other (Athena in Greek) holding an olive tree. Goddess of wisdom and of the arts, she was Zeus's favorite daughter. According to the legend, she taught men how to harness bulls to ploughs, cultivate olives and navigate the seas.
Moulds of the hundred Lira are by Giuseppe Romagnoli and engravings by Pietro Giampaoli in acmonital. The piece is 27.8 mm in diameter and weighs 8 g with scored edge. From 1990 the hundred Lira was coined in a smaller size, diameter of 18.3 and weighed 3.3 g. From 1993 to 2001 the face of the coin was changed, designed by Laura Cretara, it now has an allegoric scene and on the back a dolphin, eagle, olive branch and ear of wheat. The dimensions changed again to a diameter of 22 mm with a weight of 4.5 g with a smooth edge.
