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1 Lira - Napoleon Essai
| Issuer | Milan Mint |
|---|---|
| Year | 1806 |
| Type | Coin pattern |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
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|---|---|
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| Reverse description | The crowned imperial coat of arms of the Kingdom of Italy, comprising a quartered shield supported by two eagle's wings displayed and flanked by two crossed sceptres, the whole surmounted by an imperial crown with elaborate mantling. The denomination 1. LIRA appears in the lower exergue, while the legend REGNO D'ITALIA is disposed around the left and right periphery of the field. |
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| Reverse lettering | REGNO D'ITALIA 1.LIRA (Translation: Italian Kingdom) |
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| Additional information |
The Kingdom of Italy under Napoleon required rapid monetary unification across territories that had previously operated under Austrian, papal, and various local coinage systems. The 1806 essai pieces from Milan were trial strikes produced as the new regime standardized its monetary architecture — not intended for circulation, but for approval by officials coordinating the decimal franc-aligned system being imposed across Napoleonic-controlled Europe.
Milan's role as the kingdom's monetary hub was politically deliberate. The city hosted Napoleon's 1805 coronation as King of Italy, and the mint's output carried explicit symbolic weight for the new administration.