Expert: Brad Swain - 11/10/2009

Question
Hi! My boyfriend found this this old coin digging in the ground when he was 6. It looks copper and it says vittorio emanvele iii re d'italia around a picture of him. On the other side it looks like it has a bubble bee and a lady bug on a plant by the date(1926), and 10c. We were just wondering more about this coin. If it might be worth anything. We read that it might have been from during the libyan war. Just wanting to learn more about it :)  

Answer
Hi Ashley, There were 25.2 million of these Italian 10 centesimi coins minted that year in Rome (R) featuring King Vittorio Emanuele III (1900-46) and a honeybee on a flower. This design was used 1919-37.
Collector value may be worth about .10 with heavy wear to around .75 with moderate wear to maybe $4 with light wear.
You might also try a library for a copy of the Standard Catalog of World Coins for pictures, values and lots more interesting info.
Brad