The Heritage Auctions World and Ancient Coins department is proud to present the Meduno Collection of Italian Provas, the culmination of a decades-long pursuit for some of Italy’s scarcest and most sought-after Prova and Pattern issues. This Showcase Auction, scheduled for January 15, is likely the most complete and concentrated offering of Italian Provas and Patterns spanning the 18th-20th centuries in recent history. While the majority of this special assemblage remains in the unified Italy of the 20th century, there is an especially strong selection of Albanian, Vatican, and Italian Somaliland issues to accompany, making for a once-in-a-generation opportunity to acquire these coveted types.
An example of the outstanding Albanian issues in this auction is lot 21014, a 1929-R Zog I gold Prova 100 Franga Ari, graded MS64 by PCGS, and struck at the Rome mint. This is an especially pleasing and thoroughly sought-after rendition and the highest denomination of this series. In the last two decades, we’ve only handled a single example of this date – an MS63 from the historic Paramount Collection. Here we present a specimen one point finer–no small feat when considering the prestige of the aforementioned collection. Zog’s iconic bust sits front and center, framed in a laurel wreath while the reverse showcases a fully embossed spreadwing double-headed eagle. Pervasive, silky luster abounds this Near-Gem, which demands attention from conditionally and aesthetically conscious collectors.
Some of the other outstanding items featured in the Meduno Collection are:
- Albania: Zog I gold Prova 20 Franga Ari 1938-R MS63 NGC, Rome mint, KM-Pr52
- Eritrea: Italian Colony. Vittorio Emanuele III Prova Tallero 1918-R MS61 NGC, Rome mint, KM-Pr1
- Italian Somaliland: Italian Colony. Vittorio Emanuele III silver Prova 10 Lire 1925-R MS63 NGC, Rome mint, KM-Pr14
- Italy: Republic Prova 10 Lire 1946-R MS63 NGC, Rome mint, KM-Pr77
- Italy: Umberto I copper-nickel Pattern Proof 20 Centesimi 1893 PR66 Cameo NGC, Rome mint, Km-Unl
- Italy: Vittorio Emanuele III bronze Prova 5 Centesimi 1908-R MS64 Brown NGC, Rome mint, KM-Pr9
- Italy: Vittorio Emanuele III silver Matte Proof Prova 2 Lire 1911-R PR64 Matte NGC, Rome mint, KM-Pr12
- Italy: Vittorio Emanuele III silver Prova 20 Lire 1936-R MS63 NGC, Rome mint, KM-Pr65
Bid on the fascinating coins in this auction through Sunday, January 15, exclusively at Coins.HA.com.
