Italian Umberto I
Obverse |
Reverse |
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The obverse features a portrait of a mustached King Umberto I surrounded by his name and title UMBERTO I RE D'ITALIA (Umberto I King of Italy) and the year of release.
The reverse has the royal arms of Savoy with the royal crown on the top. The arms are flanked by the denomination and surrounded by wreath. |
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Photo is illustrative!
Gold weight: 5.806 g / 0.1867 oz
Coin weight: 6.4516 g
Proof: 900
Denomination: 20 Lira
Diameter: 21 mm
Umberto I was King of Italy from 1878 until his death in 1900. He was son to Victor Emmanuel II, who united Italy under a single kingdom during the “Risorgimento” movement of the 19th century. Later, Umberto I has been referred to as "The Good" although he was wildly unpopular throughout his rule with left-wing circles, especially among anarchists, because of his hard-line conservatism and support of the Bava-Beccaris massacre in Milan. The Bava-Beccaris massacre refers to the repression of widespread riots over the rising price of bread in Milan 1898. General Fiorenzo Bava-Beccaris ordered the use of cannon on the demonstrators as a result, about hundred people were killed and about a thousand were wounded. King Umberto outraged a large part of the public opinion by congratulating and rewarding Bava-Beccaris on the restoration of order. Two assassination attempts on Umberto I immediately followed, with the third attempt ultimately claiming the King's life in 1900. He was killed by anarchist Gaetano Bresci. Umberto I is the only head of the Italian state to have been assassinated. |
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