Napoleonic Kingdom of Italy
The Napoleonic Kingdom of Italy was established in March 1805 when Napoleon, President of the Italian Republic (1802-1805), declared himself Emperor. This followed his crowing as Emperor of France in December 1804.
The territory consisted primarily of Lombardy and Venice in the northeast. The northwestern and western areas of modern-day Italy had been annexed into France and southern Italy was granted to Napoleon’s brother Joseph (and later, to Napoleon’s brother-in-law).
Circulation Coins
Certain images are clickable for more detail
40 Lire
1807-1814
(Image: Heritage Sept 2008)
20 Lire
1808-1814
(Image: Nomisma Jun 2022)
5 Lire
1807-1814
(Image: MDC Oct 2023, Nomisma May 2019)
2 Lire
1807-1814
(MDC Oct 2023)
1 Lira
1808-1814
(Image: MDC Oct 2023)
15 soldi (3/4 lira)
1808-1814
(St James/CNG Aug 2014)
10 soldi (1/2 lira)
1808-1814
(Image: Kunker Jun 2017)
5 soldi (1/4 lira)
1808-1814
(Image: MDC 2023)
Consolidated Mintage Data
Napoleon’s 20 lire denomination is particularly rare compared to his 20 francs (about 20 million across all mints). Napoleon 20 francs were also minted in Italy in very limited number (Turin 1810-1813, Genoa 1813-1814, and Rome 1813) (here). The 20 lire has many variants, including the 1809 5-pointed vs. 6-pointed star (recognized by PCGS).
Only the 20 Lire and 40 Lire were minted in gold.
| Year | 5 Soldi | 10 Soldi | 15 Soldi | 1 Lira | 2 Lire | 5 Lire | 20 Lire | 40 Lire |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1807 | - | - | - | - | 10,145 | 39,277 | - | 3,430 |
| 1808 | 134,923 | 174,948 | 37,771 | 492,661 | 313,990 | 3,311,289 | 87,183 | 564,153 |
| 1809 | 602,134 | 426,014 | 14,858 | 25,000 | 326,252 | 2,704,092 | 52,640 | 38,000 |
| 1810 | 549,988 | 549,988 | 9,000 | 1,114,923 | 364,878 | 591,014 | 114,000 | 157,750 |
| 1811 | 2,984,097 | 2,354,478 | - | 1,535,439 | 530,473 | 3,637,159 | 55,387 | 105,767 |
| 1812 | 1,901,019 | 807,961 | - | 730,641 | 642,252 | 2,266,017 | 45,014 | 55,547 |
| 1813 | 5,920,000* | 1,174,107 | - | 785,734 | 776,456 | 952,059 | 39,101 | 40,812 |
| 1814 | 700,000 | 450,000 | 371 | 275,650 | 65,730 | 102,000 | 57,453 | 264,018** |
| Total | 13,937,258 | 5,737,495 | 62,000 | 5,090,048 | 3,020,176 | 13,603,577 | 450,758 | 1,229,837 |
Source: Numista (manually compiled by year). **Mintage for 1814 is understated for the reasons as described below.
20 Lire Graded Population
| Grade | PCGS Pop | NGC Pop | Combined | PCGS Years | NGC Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| MS61 | 0 | 2 | 2 | n/a | 1809 x1, 1811 x1(PF) |
| MS62 | 2 | 8 | 10 | 1809 x1, 1811 x1 | 1809 x1, 1810 x4, 1811 x1, 1813 x2 |
| MS63 | 0 | 1 | 1 | n/a | 1813 x1 |
| MS64 | 0 | 5 | 5 | n/a | 1808 x1, 1811 x2 (1+), 1812 x1, 1814 x1 |
| MS65 | 0 | 1 | 1 | n/a | 1813/03 x1(1 PL) |
| MS66 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1813 | n/a |
| Total | 3 | 15 | 20 | - | - |
Source: NGC / PCGS (Compiled as of 12 October 2024)
< 20 Lire - Finest Examples >
Napoleon 20 lire coins are rare in general, and extremely scarce in mint state. The top examples at auction are increasingly (but not always) graded.
1813 - PCGS MS66
(Image: Not Known)
1813 - NGC MS65 PL
(Image: NAC Jun 2023)
1811 - NGC MS64+
(Image: SIMA May 2023)
1808 - NGC MS64
(Image: Heritage Jan 2015)
1811 - NGC MS64
(Image: Heritage Apr 2019)
1812 - NGC MS64
(Image: NAC Dec 2022)
1814 - NGC MS64
(Image: NAC Dec 2022)
1813 - NGC MS63
(Image: SIMA May 2023)
1811 - NGC PF61
(Image: Numismatica Genevensis Dec 2011)
1808 - Ungraded “FDC”
(Image: Nomisma Aug 2024)
1811 - Ungraded “FDC”
(Image: Nomisma Jun 2022)
1812 - Ungraded “UNC”
(Image: Chaponnière Nov 2013)
40 Lire Graded Population
| Grade | PCGS Pop | NGC Pop | Combined | PCGS Years | NGC Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| MS61 | 5 | 21 | 26 | 1810 x1, 1812 x2, 1814 x2 | 1808 x2, 1810 x2, 1811 x1, 1812 x5, 1813 x1, 1814 x6 |
| MS62 | 8 | 19 | 27 | 1808 x5, 1810 x1, 1814 x2 | 1808 x3, 1810/09 x2, 1811/09 x1, 1814 x9(1+), 1814/04 x4, 1814/08 x1 |
| MS63 | 5 | 18 | 23 | 1811 x1, 1812 x1, 1814 x2(1 Cam), 1814/08 x1 | 1808 x2, 1810/09 x1, 1811/09 x1, 1812 x3, 1814 x6(1+), 1814/09 x4(1+), 1814/08 x1 |
| MS64 | 1 | 8 | 9 | 1814 x1 | 1814 x5(1 star), 1814/04 x2, 1814/08x1 |
| MS65 | 0 | 0 | 0 | n/a | n/a |
| MS66 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 1814 x1(Cam) | 1812 x1 |
| Total | 20 | 67 | 87 | - | - |
Source: NGC / PCGS (Compiled as of 12 October 2024)
< 40 Lire Finest Examples >
The 40 lire are rare in mint state, though less rare than the 20 lire due to the higher mintage and the 1814 restrikes. The majority of the mint state graded examples are dated 1814.
1814 - PCGS PR66 Cameo
(Image: Tyrant Collection / PCGS)
1812 - NGC MS66
(Image: Palombo Jan 2023)
1814 - Ungraded Proof
(Image: Numismatica Genevensis 2014)
1808 - Ungraded Proof
(Image: Vinchon Dec 2023)
1814 - NGC MS64
(Image: MDC Oct 2024)
1814/04 - NGC MS64
(Image: CNG Aug 2014)
1814 - PCGS PR63 Cameo
(Image: MDC May 2024)
1811/09 - NGC MS64 (removed from slab)
(Image: Palombo Nov 2019)
1814 - PCGS/NGC MS64
(Image: Other 7 examples pending/unknown)
1814 - Ungraded
(Image: Kunker Mar 2016)
1814 - Ungraded “SUP”
(Image: Vinchon Dec 2023)
1815-1819 Restrikes of the 1814 40 Lire
As the high-grade NGC/PCGS population data above shows, 1814 40 lire is over-represented in high grades (~20% of the typically reported mintage, 50% of the MS graded population).
The evidence indicates that there were restrikes of the 1814 40 lire during 1815-1819, bringing the actual total mintage from 264k to 706k. Carboneri's La circolocción monetaria nei diverse stati (1915) indicates that the annual mintage is:
1814: 94,142
1815: 95,440
1816: 74,436
1817: 160,903
1818: 185,805
1819: 95,526
The reason for these restrikes, which are particularly strange given that they would have been under Austrian occupation, are unknown.