Brief History
Before the unification of Italy about 1861, Italy consisted of many small states, kingdoms, and duchies. This makes the period more interesting for historians and coin collectors alike.
Sardinia was under the rule of the House of Savoy from 1720, and eventually became the core of the unified Italian state.

Italian States Gold Coins Because of its long history, and many small states, many different types and designs of Italian gold coins have been issued. Among the most famous is the ducat, also called a zecchino and issued in numerous states. In other states, its equivalent was the scudo (scudo d'oro) or florin. Double sized coins were doppia, the italian for double, and there were also strangely enough half doppie, quarter doppie and eighth doppie. Sovranos and half sovranos were issued by Lombardy - Venetia, ongaros in Mantua and Milan, doppiettas (little doubles) by Sardinia, oncia by Sicily, ungheros and ruspone in Tuscany. Lire were introduced as early as 1758 in Genoa, and were eventually also issued by a number of other states including Sardinia. Lira was the name chosen for the new coinage of the kingdom starting in 1861. The most readily available of the modern Italian gold coins are the 20 Lire of Victor Emanuel II and Umberto I.

List of Italian States

* Monaco is an independent state, but we have listed it here because of its close association with Italy.
* San Marino is an independent state, but we have listed it here because of its close association with Italy.
* The Vatican is an independent state, but we have listed it here because of its close association with Italy.