Somalia (Italian) 1/4, 1/2, and 1 Rupia 1910 to 1921

These are valuable coins. Somalia, on the eastern coast of Africa, is now an independent Islamic country. But, in prior times, it was colonized by France and Italy. Oswald's coin comes from Italian Somaliland.

There are three denominations which use the pattern shown in our picture: 1/4 rupia, 1/2 rupia, and 1 rupia. Not many coins were made, and the catalog values are up due to rarity. Here is a summary of approximate values:

1/4 (QUARTO) RUPIA
worn: $20 US dollars approximate catalog value
average circulated: $50
well preserved: $150
fully uncirculated: $400
1/4 rupia dated 1913 are more rare and are worth about twice these values

1/2 (MEZZA) RUPIA
worn: $35 US dollars approximate catalog value
average circulated: $75
well preserved: $200
fully uncirculated: $600
1/2 rupia dated 1915 are more rare and are worth about twice these values

1 (UNA) RUPIA
worn: $40 US dollars approximate catalog value
average circulated: $85
well preserved: $250
fully uncirculated: $450
1 rupia dated 1920 are rare, cataloging at $1500 in average circulated condition
1 rupia dated 1921 are very rare, cataloging at $4000 in average circulated condition

As always on CoinQuest, you must convert these inflated catalog values to actual buy and sell values using the concepts presented on our Important Terminology page.
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