Italy 1 and 2 Lire 1908 to 1917

What a cool design on this nice old Italian coin. Both 1 and 2 lire coins share the same design. There is a valuable 5 lire with the same design, L5 under the horses on the back, minted only in 1914, but most are counterfeits (see this CoinQuest page).

1 LIRA BEFORE 1915:
worn: $5 US dollars approximate catalog value
average circulated: $20
well preserved: $50
fully uncirculated: $250

for 1 lira coins dated 1908, multiply these values by 4
for 1 lira coins dated 1909, multiply these values by 3
for 1 lira coins dated 1913, divide these values by 2

1 LIRA AFTER 1914:
worn: $10
average circulated: $20
well preserved: $35
fully uncirculated: $125

for 1 lira coins dated 1916, multiply these values by 2

2 LIRE BEFORE 1914:
worn: $20
average circulated: $100
well preserved: $230
fully uncirculated: $700

2 lire coins dated 1910 are scarce, multiply the above values by 2.5
2 lire coins dated 1911 are rare, multiply the above values by 5

2 LIRE AFTER 1913:
worn: $10
average circulated: $25
well preserved: $40
fully uncirculated: $90

2 lire coins dated 1917 are less common and catalog at $60 when average circulated and $175 when fully uncirculated

NEVER CLEAN A COIN. CLEANING RUINS VALUE.

These are catalog values. Use our Important Terminology link to get an interpretation of this weasel word.

In addition to the coins cited above, there are a few earlier years of 1 lire issues with a slightly different obverse ('heads' side). These coins are worth about the same as the 1 lire coins quoted above, except for the 1908 date. If you are fortunate enough to have a 1908 1 lire, the catalogs call out values like this:

1908 1 LIRE:
worn: $40 US dollars approximate catalog value
average circulated: $80
well preserved: $250
fully uncirculated: $600

If your coin has been hit with steel wool, BO, the value will go to zero. Coin collectors will not purchase coins that have been abrasively cleaned.
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