Victor Emmanuel II struck these as King of Sardinia before the Risorgimento delivered him the unified Italian crown in 1861. The Kingdom of Sardinia was the political engine of unification — Cavour's diplomacy and Garibaldi's campaigns both operated under this coinage authority. Once the Kingdom of Italy was proclaimed, Sardinian issues were rapidly demonetized and melted, which is the principal reason survivors in any grade are genuinely scarce today.
Victor Emmanuel II struck these as King of Sardinia before the Risorgimento delivered him the unified Italian crown in 1861. The Kingdom of Sardinia was the political engine of unification — Cavour's diplomacy and Garibaldi's campaigns both operated under this coinage authority. Once the Kingdom of Italy was proclaimed, Sardinian issues were rapidly demonetized and melted, which is the principal reason survivors in any grade are genuinely scarce today.