Head of King Victor Emmanuel II left. Below the neck the name of the engraver and date.

Lesser coat of arms of the Kingdom of Italy (1890): Savoy shield decorated with the Supreme Order of the Most Holy Annunciation, both within a laurel wreath. Below value of the coin and mintmark.

Savoy shield is the arms of the House of Savoy. It is said to first appear in 1263, when it likely signified the “taking of the cross” by Pietro II, who was the maternal uncle of Eleanor of Provence, wife of Henry III of England. Over the span of many centuries this royal family played an important role in both French and Italian history. In fact, for some time the Savoy shield was displayed on Italy’s well-known tricolor flag.

The Supreme Order of the Most Holy Annunciation is a Roman Catholic order of knighthood, originating in Savoy. It eventually was the pinnacle of the honours system in the Kingdom of Italy, which ceased to be a national order when the kingdom became a republic in 1946.

Inscription with Guilloche and rosettes. FERT (sometimes tripled, FERT, FERT, FERT), the motto of the Royal House of Savoy-Sardinia and Italy, the House of Savoy, was adopted by King Vittorio Amedeo II (1666–1732). It appeared for the first time on the collar of the Supreme Order of the Most Holy Annunciation, the primary dynastic order of the kingdom. This ceased to be a national order when Italy became a republic in 1946. The meaning of the letters has been a matter of some controversy, to which a number of interpretations have been offered.