Two Sicilies Mezzo Tornese

The Mezzo Tornese, a copper fraction from the Two Sicilies, was often struck on planchets cut from recycled copper sheets, sometimes sourced from scrapped artillery shells after Napoleonic Wars.

That made for a coin as practical as it was unpretentious, circulating in the pockets of farmers and fishmongers across Naples and Sicily from 1818 until unification. Its design featured a simple bust of the reigning Bourbon king on one side, with a crowned shield on the other—nothing flashy, just the basics to denote value.

Weights varied slightly by year, typically around 1.5 grams, but exact figures depend on the mint's mood that day. Mintage records? Half of them burned in some archive fire decades ago, so we're left guessing.

Plenty of fakes turned up, as you'd expect for something worth less than a loaf of bread.