200 Lire

Italy's 200 lire entered circulation in 1977 as inflation steadily eroded the purchasing power of smaller denominations, making a higher-value circulating coin a practical necessity. The Bronzital alloy — developed specifically for Italian coinage — was chosen partly for its resistance to corrosion and partly because its golden appearance reduced public confusion with the aluminium-bronze 20 lire piece. Production ran continuously across the Rome mint for over two decades, accumulating mintages in the hundreds of millions for most years, which explains why circulated survivors are abundant but uncirculated examples from the earliest strikes take more effort to locate.