Bozzolo 1638 tallero Dav-3856
This specimen was lot 2640 in Sincona sale 80 (Zürich, October 2022), where it sold for 1,800 CHF (about US$2,157 including buyer's fees). The catalog description[1] noted,
"ITALY | Bozzolo, Scipione Gonzaga, 1613-1670, zweite Periode: Herzog von Sabbioneta, 1636-1670. Tallero 1638. Nachahmung eines Löwentalers der Vereinigten niederländischen Provinzen. MO.NO.DA.BOLOGNI - NI.QVARANTA. Löwenschild vor dem Hüftbild eines geharnischten Ritters. Rv. .FORTISSIMA.MVNDI.MVNERA.1638 Löwe nach links. Von grösster Seltenheit. Sehr schön. Kleines Zainende und poröser Schrötling. (Italy, Bozzolo, Scipione Gonzaga, 1613-70, struck while he was duke of Sabbioneta, 1636-70, tallero of 1638. Imitation of a Dutch lion daalder. Obverse: half-length bust of a knight holding a shield with a lion; reverse: lion rampant left. Of the highest rarity, Very fine, Minor edge clip and porous flan.)"
The duchy of Mantua was ruled by the Gonzaga family until 1707 when the dynasty lapsed. It became a Hapsburg holding, then part of the Napoleonic empire, then back to Austria, then finally part of Italy, where it remains. Scipione was a junior member of the family and never became duke of Mantua, having to content himself with Bozzolo and Sabbioneta. These imitations of Dutch lion daalders would have been denounced as counterfeits were it not for the status of the counterfeiter. It did not help that the genuine coins were very crude and poorly struck.
Recorded mintage: unknown.
Specification: silver, 21-25 g, this specimen is 24.67 g.
Catalog reference: KM 55, CNI 81 var, Gamberini 611, MIR -. Dav-3856.
- Cuhaj, George S., and Thomas Michael, Standard Catalog of World Coins, 1601-1700, 6th ed., Iola, WI: Krause Publications, 2014.
- Davenport, John S., European Crowns, 1600-1700, Galesburg, IL, 1974.
- [1]Richter, Jürg, SINCONA Auction 80, World Coins and Medals, SINCONA Bullion Auction, World Banknotes, Coins and Medals from Switzerland, Zürich: SINCONA AG, 2022.
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