Gold is precious and rare and for this reason, it has always symbolized wealth. In its pure form, gold is very soft. This quality makes it necessary to mix gold with another base metal in a chemical reaction to create an alloy. Copper is the metal that generallyworks as the base metal although the use of other metals including silver is possible.
Since the gold alloys have greater strength and are precious because of their gold content, through out history they have been utilized as coinage metal. Since the very beginning of coin making, gold has enjoyed a place of preference as a coinage metal as opposed to other metals.
Italy for a large period of time was in the form of a number of states with different ruling bodies, because of which various sorts of coins as currency were used. However, "fiorino d'oro" or the gold coins of the republic of Florence it is believed to be the first European coin to be produced and used in larger amounts.
The invention of first gold coin in Italy as historical estimates show was in the year 1252. The gold coin had a 3.5 gram gold concentration approximately. Many other gold coins whose utilization was common in Italy apart from fiorino d'oro were the scudo d'oro, ducat and the sovranos.
From 1861, Italians started using the Lira as currency. Today, the gold Lira is a collector's item because Italy started using the Euro as their currency from the year 2000.
Italian gold coins are now considered a collector's item and people buy and sell the coins. Coin investors think of Italian gold coins a safe form of investment because of the rise in the price of gold. Older coins are bigger and have more gold content and this raises their price. Smaller coins have less gold content and cost less.
The Italian gold coins that are for sale these days are numerous and their prices differ according to their year of manufacture. The gold coins made prior to the year 1900 have a price ranging over two thousand Euros and the cost of the gold coins made after the year 1900 averages at around one thousand five hundred Euros.
Italian goldsmiths duplicate gold coins and make jewelry artistically and cost effectively. They combine style with the heritage and attributes that have been around long in their heritage. It is now possible to find gold coin cufflinks, necklaces, earrings, pendants, tiepins and bracelets.
The items made from gold coins have a starting cost of 200 dollars and the price increases than that if they contain more gold and if they have better designs. The items are beautiful and they are a good for reminding people about Italian history.
Antique Italian gold coins are sought after by investors and collectors alike. For further information on other gold items like Italian gold charms click on these links.
