Italy Venice 20 Soldi 1684 to 1688

Also known as one 'Liretta', these 20 soldi coins were struck under the authority of Doge Marc Antonio Giustinian of Venice. His name can be found on the coin as M. (Marc) ANT. (Antonio) IVS-TIN (Giustinian). The inscriptions vary, and sometimes his name is written out as 'M. ANTON IVSTINIANVS DVX'. This inscription is written around the doge who is kneeling in prayer, looking up at Mary and Jesus in heaven. The small object on the ground to his right is his ducal cap, a sort of minor crown. Below the line at the bottom, the Roman numeral XX tells of the value - 20 (soldi).

The other side of the coin (the 'reverse') shows a crowned personification of Justice holding a sword in one hand and scales in the other. To the lower right there's a small lion's head. The letters below the line at the bottom are the mintmaster's initials. The known initials are AC, AD, ND, SB and ZAL.

worn: $50 US dollars approximate catalog value
average circulated: $150
well preserved: $225

The coin in our picture comes from Numismatica Ranieri in Bologna, Italy where it sold for 180 euros (about $240 US dollars) during a 2011 auction. CoinQuest thank Numismatic Ranieri for use of their nice coin photo.

Coins with holes or severe damage will be worth a few dollars. Please see our Important Terminology page at the top left in order to properly interpret these catalog values.
cqLastNotify