Italy, Victor Emmanuel III. Silver 5 Lire Coin.
Mint Year: 1930 Mint Place: Rome Reference: KM-67.1. Denomination: 5 LireMaterial: Silver (.835) Diameter: 23mm Weight: 5.01gm
Obverse: Bust of Victor Emmanuel III left. Legend: VITTORIA . EMANVELLE . III . RE . D’ITALIA .
Reverse: Heraldic eagle of the Kingdom stepped fasces and axe. Value below, date and mintmark inital of Rome to left. Legend: R 1930 / L.5
Victor Emmanuel III (Italian: Vittorio Emanuele III; 11 November 1869 – 28 December 1947) was a member of the House of Savoy and King of Italy (29 July 1900 – 9 May 1946). In addition, he was the claimed Emperor of Ethiopia (1936–43) and King of Albania (1939–43). During his long reign, Victor Emmanuel III saw two world wars and the birth, rise, and fall of Fascism in the Kingdom of Italy.
He has been seldom treated sympathetically by historians. His almost forced abdication on the eve of a referendum on the future of the Italian monarchy achieved nothing — being too little, far too late. At worst, it reminded undecided voters of the role the monarchy and the King’s own actions (or inactions) had played during the Fascist period, at precisely the moment when monarchists were hoping that voters would focus on the positive impression created by Crown Prince Umberto and Princess Maria José as the de facto monarchs of Italy since 1944. The ‘May’ King and Queen, Umberto and Maria José, in their brief, month-long reign, were unable to shift the burden of recent history and opinion. To this day, his role in the rise of fascism, his support of Italian imperialism, and his unwillingness to oppose either ensure that his legacy will always be controversial.