Aquila (1494-95) cavallo
This specimen was lot 3172 in Stephen Album sale 50 (Santa Rosa, CA, September 2024), where it sold for $114. The catalog description[1] noted, "AQUILA: Charles VIII of France, 1483-1498, AE cavallo, crowned shield of France // cross trefoil, rays in each angle, VF." L'Aquila is the capital of the province of Abruzzo in the northern part of the kingdom of Naples (pop. 69,900 as of 2024). It has been frequently damaged by earthquakes. Altho Charles VIII ruled 1483-98, his Italian adventure lasted only 1494-95, which is how we have dated this coin. Numista states that one piastra was worth 1,440 of these cavalli but no piastri were struck in Charles' lifetime.
Recorded mintage: unknown.
Specification: 1.5 g, copper, 19 mm diameter, this specimen 2.61 g.
Catalog reference: Duplessy-636.
- Duplessy, Jean, Les Monnaies Françaises Royales de Hugues Capet à Louis XVI (987-1793), Tome II, 2e édition, Paris: Maison Platt, 1999.
- [1]Album, Stephen, Joseph Lang, Paul Montz, Michael Barry and Norman Douglas Nicol, Auction 50, featuring selections from the Dr. Robert A. Rosenfeld Collection, the Hakim Hamidi Collection, the Almer H. Orr III Collection and the Solar Collection, Santa Rosa, CA: Stephen Album Rare Coins, Inc., 2024.
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