Italy, 1928 AD., Vittorio Emanuele III, 10th Anniversary of the End of World War I commemorative, modern fake imitating the Rome mint, 20 Lire, cf. KM 70.
Italy, Vittorio Emanuele III, 10th Anniversary of the End of World War I commemorative, engraver: Attilio Silvio Motti, issuer: Giuseppe Romagnoli, modern fake imitating the Rome mint, dated 1928 AD. and Fascist era year VI (6),
20 Lire (ø 35 mm / 19,10 g), 0.600 silver (?), non-magnetic alloy, struck, 20,00 g. theor. mint weight for genuine pieces, mintage 3.536.250 genuine pieces, axes coin alignment ↑↓ (180°), reeded edge,
Obv.: VITT · EM · III · RE · // G · ROMAGNOII / A MOTTI INC. , helmeted and uniformed head of Vittorio Emanuele facing left, right, at the rim, names of the issuer/author and the engraver.
Rev.: ITALIA / MCMXVIII / L. / 20 / R / MCMXXVIII / A. VI - MEGLIO · / VIVERE · VN · / GIORNO · DA · / LEONE · CHE · / CENTO · ANNI · / DA · PEGO-/ RA ~ , upper part of fasces and an axe adorned with a lion´s head r., motto in seven lines on axe; M of the lower date MCMXXVIII and A of A. VI incomplete.
for genuine pieces cf. KM 70 ; genuine coins and fakes on http://numismatica-italiana.lamoneta.it/moneta/W-VE3/41 .
low weight (4,4 % missing), rough surface, genuine pieces generally show sharper details at the names of the author and the engraver; incomplete reverse letters at the rim (eg. M of the lower date MCMXXVIII, A of A. VI), uneven leters of ITALIA and L. , ROMAGNOII instead of ROMAGNOLI .
Year / Mint Mark / Mintage
1928 R 3.536.250
"Meglio Vivere un Giorno da Leone Che Cento Anni da Pecora" [better to live one day as a lion than 100 years as a sheep ] was an Italian fascist motto, This inscription, which commemorates the courage of our soldiers in World War I, was found after the battle of the Piave (June 1918) on the walls of some dilapidated houses and is cited by Mussolini in a speech on March 19, 1928 at the House of Representatives to honor the death of Marshal Diaz.