If you find Minerva in these old liras then you are rich: here’s what

Starting with very ancient civilizations, monetary issues began to be recognized through the faces of kings and also other representations: symbols, coats of arms and also religious figures such as dynamites. The ancient Greeks and Romans carried this tradition on many types of emission, especially if the deities in question had a meaning that also applies in terms of values. This is the case of Minerva, the “Roman” version of the deity of Athena, considered the patroness of arts and wisdom, but also considered one of the most important figures in the Greek/Roman pantheon. Minerva actually appears in many ancient issues, and powerful symbolism has been back in vogue since the Renaissance making ancient divine figures an ideal subject for coins once again.

Gods on coins

Indeed, Minerva had the “honour” of being the protagonist of one of the most famous coins in “modern” Italy: two copies of the 100-lire coin (respectively type I and type II), which were minted continuously throughout the second part of the last century . Made in an alloy very common in the last century, based on aluminum like Italma, the most famous of which was made between 1954 and 1989, later replaced by the unfortunate Type II, essentially miniature versions of the earlier ones, which had a “short life”. In fact, the first type remained the most widely used until the de-coinage, which occurred in 2002.

If you find Minerva in these old liras then you are rich: here’s what

Most of the 100 Lira Minerva, being common coins, are worth no more than 2-3 euros, but copies from the 50s, if kept in perfect condition, can be worth a few hundred euros. Different words for coins with Minerva that are part of the trial, made by the State Mint in 1954 as a model before mass production. It is identical to that of later minted, except for the writing trial It appears small, as shown in the pictures. These are worth up to 3000 . euro.