Italian 10 centesimo coin

10 centesimi
	Coin from 1941
General information
Used by	Kingdom of Italy; Napoleonic Kingdom of Italy
Value	£0.10
Years	1807–1814; 1862–1867; 1893–1894; 1911 (commemorative); 1919–1943;
Measurements and composition
	; 1.9 g (1807–1814); 10 g (1862–1867); 9.51 g (1893–1894); 9.97 g (1911); 5.4 g (1919–1939); 4.9 g (1939–1943);
	; 18 mm (1807–1814); 30 mm (1862–1867, 1911); 30.34 mm (1893–1894); 23 mm (1919–1937); 22 mm (1936–1939); 22.5 mm (1939–1943);
	; Silver (1807–1814); Copper (1862–1867, 1911, 1919–1939); Bronze (1893–1894); Aluminum bronze (1939–1943);
	v · d · e

The 10 centesimo coin was first minted by the Napoleonic Kingdom of Italy in 1807. A year after the founding of the Kingdom of Italy, the Italian lira was reintroduced, and in the process introuced a new 10 centesimo coin. Since then, new issues were introduced in 1893, 1911, 1919, 1936, and 1939. These coins equaled 10 centesimi, or 0.10 lire.

History

Napoleonic coin

Parpagliola napoleone — The first 10 centesimo coin.

The first 10 centesimo coin was introduced in 1807 during the reign of the Napoleonic Kingdom of Italy. It weighed only 1.9 grams and had a diameter of 18 millimeters. The coin was composed of 200/1000 silver, and due to its low silver content, it is often regarded as parpagliola. Luigi Manfredini was given the task of designing the coin. On the obverse, an "N" was displayed under the Iron Crown of Lombardy; both were surrounded by a laurel wreath. The reverse showed the value, year of minting, and the text "Napoleone Imperatore Ere". These coins stopped circulating in 1814.

Coin of Victor Emmanuel II

10 centesimi del 1867 — The second 10 centesimo coin, depicting Victor Emmanuel II.

In 1862, two years after the establishment of the Kingdom of Italy, a new 10 centesimo coin was minted. It was significantly larger in size than the last coin, having been 10 grams in mass and 30 millimeters in diameter. The coin was mainly composed of copper. On the obverse of the coin is an effigy of King Victor Emmanuel II with the lettering, "VITTORIO EMANUELE II RE D'ITALIA". The reverse displayed the value of the coin and year of minting surrounded by a wreath with a five-pointed star at the top. These coins were minted up until 1867.

Coin of Umberto I

Italy 10 centesimi 1893 — An 1893 coin depicting Umberto I.

After the end of Victor Emmanuel II's reign, Umberto I took the title of King of Italy. Because of this, new coins were issued displaying the new king. In 1893, a new issue of 10 centesimo coins was created, which displayed Umberto on the obverse with the lettering, "UMBERTO I RE D'ITALIA". The reverse of the coin, just like the last coin, had displayed the value and year of minting surrounded by a wreath with a five-pointed star on top of it. Other than design, this coin had other differences with the coin depicting Victor Emmanuel II. It was composed of bronze. The mass of the coin was lowered to 9.51 grams and the diameter to 30.34 millimeters. These were only circulated for two years, ending the process in 1894.

1911 commemorative coin

1919 issue

1936 issue

1939 issue

References

v · d · e Italian lira (1862-2002)
Banknotes	50 c. • ₤1 • ₤2 • ₤5 • ₤10 • ₤20 • ₤50 • ₤100 • ₤500 • ₤1000 • ₤2000 • ₤5000 • ₤10,000 • ₤20,000 • ₤50,000 • ₤100,000 • ₤500,000
Coins	Official: 1 c. • 2 c. • 5 c. • 10 c. • 20 c. • 50 c. • ₤1 • ₤2 • ₤5 • ₤10 • ₤20 • ₤50 • ₤100 • ₤200 • ₤500 • ₤1000
Miscellaneous	IPZS • Commemorative coin • Sammarinese lira • Vatican lira • Am-lira • Tripolitanian lira • Trieste lira • Ljubljana lira