Italian Somaliland 5 Centesimi
Italy
1925–1936
Reference data compiled from public catalogs
Market Price Range
Based on 2 eBay listings · Prices vary by grade and condition
Estimated Melt Value
$0.03
Based on Copper spot price ($6.07/oz) · 95.0% purity · 2.5g
Updated 12:48 PM
Collector premium not included
Specifications
| Country | Italy |
| Years Minted | 1925–1936 |
| Composition | Bronze |
| Weight | 2.5 g |
| Diameter | 18 mm |
| Shape | Round |
| Edge | Plain |
Design
Obverse
Features the bust of King Vittorio Emanuele III facing left.
Reverse
Displays the denomination '5 Centesimi' with a star above and the year below.
History & Notable Facts
The most intriguing fact about the Italian Somaliland 5 Centesimi is that it was minted in Rome using bronze planchets, then shipped thousands of miles to a dusty corner of East Africa to serve as everyday currency in a colonial outpost.
These coins, produced between 1925 and 1936, typically feature the profile of King Victor Emmanuel III on the obverse and the denomination with "Somalia Italiana" on the reverse. They were unadorned, practical pieces, meant for markets and trade, not parades.
Exact mintage figures are murky; records from that era were spotty, and colonial archives suffered losses over the decades.
The design borrowed from Italian standards, with no frills for the tropics.
Some numismatists claim these coins carried hidden symbols of imperialism, but that's mostly nonsense. They were just coins.
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