That coin is one of two possible varities. Unfortunately the hole in it won't allow you to sort out which one it is. From 1932-1935 Johnson and Mathey had a monopoly wholesale contract with the Vienna mint. In 1935 Mussolini finally got a 25 year concession allowing Italy to produce the MTT, Vienna mint had to transfer the dies to Rome. and cancelled the contract with J&M. The first Rome mint MTT looked exactly like the ones produced for Johnson and Mathey. The only difference is the Rome mint MTT used 835 standard silver instead of the more usual 833. So high grade Rome mint Mtt can be identified by weight they generally weigh between 28.07 and 28.14 grams while the standard weight for an MTT is 28.06 grams. Of course that hole means weight can't help and I don't think XRF has the necessary sensitivity. The two varieties are important in the story of the MTT. Mussolini wanted the production rights to assist with the invasion of Ethiopia. The Johnson and Mathey example is the last of peace time issues and the Rome mint example is part of the second world war story.
Edited by austrokiwi
02/15/2014 02:36 am