Vittorio Emanuele on Obverse of Italian Gold 20 Lire
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1861 - Coin of the Year -1861
Victor Emmanuel Unites Italy
Before 1861, Italy consisted of a large number of small states. It was unified in 1861 by Vittorio Emanuele, the king of Savoy. This explains why the flag of Savoy appears on Italian coins, causing confusion with the same flag on Swiss coins.
1861 was also an eventful year in the American Civil War, and the year that Abraham Lincoln became president. As America never portrays living persons on its coins, we have not chosen an American coin to represent this year.
Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha, the husband of Queen Victoria died on December 14, and King Ferdinand of Bulgaria was born on February 26th.
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Reverse of 1861 Italian Gold 20 Lire
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