Italy 5 lire 1878 R - Victor Emmanuel II

The coin's story

This 5 lire coin in 900 thousandths silver, the écu of the Latin Monetary Union, belongs to the series struck from 1861 to 1878 in the name of Victor Emmanuel II, first King of Italy. The Pepoli law of 24 August 1862 created the Italian lira at par with the franc, and in 1865 Italy joined the Latin Monetary Union, which set the silver of the 5 lire coins at 900 thousandths. The portrait was engraved by Giuseppe Ferraris, whose name appears below the neck. The reverse shows the arms of Savoy under the royal crown, within a wreath of foliage. The 1878 date, the year of the King's death, bears the mark R of Rome, which had become the capital. Like the other écus of the Latin Monetary Union, these coins also circulated in El Salvador until their withdrawal on 3 September 1892.