Counterfeit Detection: 1866 Italy 5 Lire With An Altered Date

NGC - A forger changed this vintage silver coin, hoping to pass it off as something much more valuable.

In 1861, Victor Emmanuel II became the first King of Italy, and he wasted no time in minting coins with his new title of Regno D'Italia. Turin served as the new kingdom's capital, and the 5 Lire coin bearing Victor Emmanuel's image was struck there in 1861, before minting was shifted to Naples for several years.

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Genuine 1866N BN 5 Lire

Of these Naples coins (all bearing the 'N' mintmark), the 1866N BN is the most valuable today, with the NGC World Coin Price Guide showing examples well below Mint State still worth thousands of dollars, several times what other Naples dates command. This creates an incentive for a counterfeiter to alter a number in the date to create the illusion of a considerable amount of additional value.


Italy 5 Lire with an altered date.

NGC recently received a purported example of the highly valuable 1866 issue. The date is a key area to check on such a supposed rarity, and on this one, there's a giant red flag: The last two digits are too close together when compared to a genuine example.


Close-up of the obverse of an altered-date coin (top) and a genuine one

In addition, the reverse is missing the expected BN monogram to the right of the denomination at the bottom of the coin. This means it is highly likely that this coin started its life as an 1862N, which is also missing that monogram.


Close-up of the reverse of an altered-date coin (top) and a genuine one.

A genuine example of this rarity would be a centerpiece of any Italian numismatic collection, but an altered coin is just embarrassing.

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Specifications
Composition: Silver
Fineness: 0.9000
Weight: 25.0000g
ASW: 0.7234oz
Melt Value: $47.05 (9/2/2026)

Design
Obverse: Head right
Reverse: Crowned shield within wreath

Notes
Ruler: Vittorio Emanuele II