It is impossible to quantify how much the lira had an impact on the lives of our grandparents, parents but also ourselves, if we have enough years behind us to remember its use, but also its memory as well as being absolutely “alive” in the majority of those has lived the historic Italian currency can also be transformed into something concrete thanks to coin collecting: the 20 lire highlights an example of a very long-lived coin which however has changed a lot over time, and rare forms of coin are today highly sought after.
The history of the Italian currency has in fact become particularly interesting from the particular perspective of the advent of the euro, when even the 20 lire, now quite abandoned, became the main currency.
But how much is an Italian 20 lire coin worth today?
20 rare Italian lire: here are the ones to look for as soon as possible
The 20 lire has been widely used for almost the entire history of Italian coinage, in fact since the time of the foundation of the Unification of Italy this coin, which had an important purchasing power to the point of being made with precious materials such as gold, was considered extremely important.
During the 20th century, with the depreciation of the currency, especially from the 1950s onwards, the 20 lire became a common currency, made with non-precious but no less interesting metals.
The easiest 20 lire to remember are the Quercia, i.e. a form of model minted from 1956 to 1999 but in a non-continuous manner and not all the same, in fact until 1959 these had a lined outline, in the 60s up to 1967 the production was was stopped and then resumed later with some differences such as the contour becoming smooth.
In particular, the first coins of this type are very rare and sought after, minted in 1968 in a “proof” format (with “PROVA” written just below the L. 20 value) in around a thousand pieces. These can be worth from around 80 euros up to almost 1000 euros if in perfect condition.
An example from 1956, however, with a lined outline is worth around 100 euros if in good condition but can be worth up to 800 if in Brilliant Uncirculated condition.
Also worth mentioning is a minting error dated 1970 present on some coins resulting in a “P” instead of the “R” of the Rome mint. A detail that can make an example worth up to 90 euros.
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