Italian 25 centesimo coin (Napoleonic Kingdom of Italy)

25 centesimi
Illustration from the Corpus Nummorum Italicorum
General information
Country	Kingdom of Italy
Value	0.25 lire; 5 soldi; 25 centesimi
Years	1808
Measurements and composition
Mass	2.5 g
Diameter	18 mm
Composition	silver
Appearance
Shape	round
Obverse	Iron Crown of Lombardy, year
Reverse	State title, value
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The 25 centesimo coin is a pattern coin that was produced in 1808 by the Kingdom of Italy, a client state of the French Empire during the reign of Emperor Napoleon I, who also assumed the role of King of Italy. Had the coin been issued, it would have had a value equal to 0.25 lire, but a 5 soldo coin of equal value was put into circulation in its place.

The coin is composed of silver and has a mass of 2.5 grams and a diameter of 18 millimeters. Like most coins, it is round in shape. It was designed by Italian sculptor Luigi Manfredini (1771–1840). A radiant depiction of the Iron Crown of Lombardy, the ceremonial headpiece worn by Napoleon during his coronation as King of Italy, is displayed in the center of the obverse, with the date "1808" printed directly below it. The Italian legend "NAPOLEONE IMPERATORE E RE", translating to English as "Napoleon, Emperor and King", is engraved along the periphery of the coin, starting at the bottom left rim and extending upward before arching downward at the top of the coin to end at the opposite side of the reverse. Featured in the middle of the reverse is the nominal value "25 CENTESIMI", with the number and value printed on their own lines. The state title "REGNO D'ITALIA" is inscribed around the periphery above and to the sides of the numeral. The "M" mint mark of the Milanese Mint is present at the very bottom of the coin. It is flanked to the left by a pomegranate symbolizing the mint in Milan, and to the right by the oil lamp privy mark of Luigi Manfredini.

The coin is listed in the fifth volume of Victor Emmanuel III's Corpus Nummorum Italicorum and Francesco and Ercole Gnecchi's Le monete di Milano da Carlo Magno a Vittorio Emanuele II. It is not currently included in the Standard Catalog of World Coins.

References

• Victor Emmanuel III (1914). Corpus Nummorum Italicorum. vol. 5.