Expert: Brad Swain - 5/29/2010

Question
I was serving in the USAF and was stationed in Brindisi Italy in 1961. When I returned home I had some assorted italian coins, one is dated 1942,  XX, L1, on the front is an image of Vittorio Emanuele III * RE*E*IMP.
My question is this: on some other site it referred to 1942 Italian coins as being Fantasy coins aqnd stating that no coins were minted in 1942. What is a Fantasy?

Answer
Hi Herb, There were 5.7 million of these stainless steel 1 Lira coins minted that year in Rome (R).
Collector value may be worth about .15 with heavy wear to around $1 with moderate wear to maybe $4 with light wear.
A 'fantasy' piece is when someone creates or hijacks an official design and changes it to suit whatever purpose they imagine that will make the coin interesting enough to sell as a souvenir or conversation piece to someone who is unfamiliar with the genuine pieces.
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