Interested in antique Italian gold coins? Want to know where you can get a genuine Italian gold coin and how much it will cost? Our guide to the history of gold coins in Italy gives you the facts & information you want to know.
History and heritage go hand in hand with Italy. Italy has a long recorded eventful history which had a significant impact on mankind. Even ancient Italian civilizations have been found to be very advanced in their times, according to the historical records and various archeological findings. Italians were simply ahead of their times compared to others. Producing great giants in the fields of arts, architecture, literature, science, geography, thinkers, music and various other fields, their performance was un-matched and incomparable.
Gold as a Coinage Metal
Gold is a precious metal and has always been a symbol of wealth for people. As it is very soft in its pure form, it is used after combining it with another base metal chemically to form an alloy. Usually copper is used as the base metal, but other metals including silver are also used. Since the gold alloys have greater strength and are precious because of their gold content, through out history they have been used as coinage metal. Since the very beginning of coin formation, gold has enjoyed a place of preference as a coinage metal over other metals.
Italian Gold Coins
Italy for a large period of time was in the form of a number of states with different governing bodies, because of which various kinds of coins as currency were used. However, “fiorino d’oro” or the gold coins of the republic of Florence were probably the first European coin to be made and used in larger quantities. The time of the birth of the first Italian gold coin is estimated to around 1252. This gold coin had approximately 3.5 grams of gold content. Apart from fiorino d’oro, many other famous gold coins used as currency were ducat, scudo d’oro and sovranos. Italy began using the currency Lira from 1861. Gold lira are now a collector’s item, as Italy has been using the Euro from 2000 onwards.
Italian Gold Coins as Collectors’ Item
The Italian gold coins have now attained the status of being a collectors’ item. People buy and sell these coins and investors take them as safe investments because of rising prices of gold. The older the coin, the larger is its size and more is its gold content which increases its price and vice versa.There are a lot of Italian gold coins for sale even now. The average prices of the gold coins dating back to before the 1900’s can be safely quoted as more than 2000 Euros, while those after 1900s have an average price of 1500 Euros.
Italian Gold Coins as Jewelry
The Italian goldsmiths have very efficiently and craftily used the duplications of the Italian gold coins in jewelry making, combining heritage with style. Various gold coin cufflinks, earrings, necklaces, pendants, bracelets and tie pins are now available. There prices start from $200 and reach to extravagant heights, depending on your choice of design and the amount of actual gold used in it. These beautifully crafted gifts are a nice reminder of the Italian history.
