Alessandria 1746 10 soldi
This specimen was lot 1258 in Jean Elsen sale 162 (Brussels, June 2025), where it sold for €650 (about US$901 including buyer's fees). The catalog description[1] noted,
"ITALIE, ALESSANDRIA, assiégée par les Génois et les Français, Cu 10 soldi, 1746. Au nom du marquis de Caraglio, gouverneur de la ville. Rare. (Italy, city of Alessandria, besieged by the French and Genoese, copper ten soldi of 1746, struck in the name of the marquis of Caraglio, governor of the town. Rare, Very Fine.)"
Alessandria had long been part of the duchy of Milan but passed to the duke of Savoy in 1707 and was under his rule when besieged during the War of the Austrian Succession. The French lifted the siege as a gesture of goodwill while attempting to persuade the duke (by then king of Sardinia) to switch sides, an offer he eventually declined.
Recorded mintage: unknown.
Specification: 6.2 g, copper, 28 mm diameter, this specimen 7,35 g.
Catalog reference: KM 1, M.I.R. 973.
- Korchnak, Lawrence C., Siege Coins of the World, 1453-1902, Lancaster, PA: Classical Numismatic Group, 2021.
- Michael, Thomas, Standard Catalog of World Coins, 1701-1800, 7th ed., Iola, WI: Krause Publications, 2016.
- [1]Elsen, Philippe, et al., Vente Publique 162: Collection Jacques Druart, Brussels: Jean Elsen et ses Fils S.A., 2025.
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