Cyprus 1570 bezant
This specimen was lot 75359 in Stack's Bowers Collectors Choice sale (Costa Mesa, CA, September 2023), where it sold for $1,140. The catalog description[1] noted, "ITALY. Venice Overseas Possessions in Cyprus. Famagusta. Bezant, 1570. PCGS EF-45. PCGS population: 1, 1 finer. An extremely attractive piece, this well produced and preserved example presents exceptional detail for the issue with a nearly complete strike. Wear is at a minimum, relegated to the design's higher points, while satisfying rich chocolate brown surfaces remain original. Clearly destined for one of the finest Cypriot or Italian cabinets currently being assembled."
We quote from NiceCurrency[2],
"This rare bezant [was] issued during the Ottoman siege of Famagusta in Cyprus. These were emergency currency issued that were to be later redeemed for silver.
The Siege of Famagusta ended after nearly a year on September 17, 1570 and the outcome was a win for the Ottoman Empire after which they controlled the entire island. A valiant effort was put forward by the men under control of Marc Antonio Bragadin and others, unfortunately they had no chance of winning as they were severely outnumbered and to this day we wonder why the Venetians who held nearby Crete did not send reinforcements. In the end a surrender was negotiated granting safe passage for anyone wishing to leave, but at the surrender ceremony on August 5th, Ottoman General Lala Mustafa Pasha accused Bragadin of killing Turkish prisoners and hiding munitions. In a fit of rage he pulled a knife out and cut off Bragadin's ear and then ordered his guards to cut off the other and his nose. In a scene reminiscent of "The Passion of the Christ" they continued to torture him after holding him in prison for a while, finally culminating in the coup de grace of a public nude flaying while tied to a tree. His body was then quartered and distributed as a war trophy, his skin was stuffed with straw and sewn shut, military insignia was placed on it and it was mounted atop an ox in a mock procession along the streets of Famagusta. It along with the severed heads of several other Venetian generals was then hoisted as a trophy atop the masthead pennant of the personal galley of Ottoman commander Amir al-bahr Mustafa Pasha to be transported to Sultan Selim II in Constantinople as a gift. When Bragadin's horrific death was brought to light in Venice he was declared a martyr and his story helped galvanize the Venetian soldiers in the fleet of the Holy League. The soldiers then went on to fight with great zeal and win the decisive victory at the Battle of Lepanto where the combined force of much of Western Europe destroyed the Ottoman fleet.
A Venetian seaman was able to later acquire the skin of Bragadin in 1580 when he was in Constantinople on business. He brought it back to Venice and it was accepted as a returning hero with much rejoicing. The skin was first preserved in the church of San Gregorio and then finally interred with full honors in the Basillica di San Giovanni e Paolo where it remains today."
Recorded mintage: unknown.
Specification: Under authority of Marc Antonio Bragadin, copper, 27 mm diameter, 3.0 g, Minted at Famagusta in 1570. Obverse: Lion of St. Mark holding book of Gospels, Inscription: PRO REGNI CYPRI PRESSIDIO "On behalf of the garrison of the Kingdom of Cyprus"; Reverse: Cupid above, inscription: VENETOR V FIDES INVIOLABILIS BISANTE, I F mint mark; "The loyalty of the Venetians is inviolable"
Catalog reference: Lambros-108; Mailliet-2. Paolucci 908.
- Rafaele Paolucci, La Zecca di Venezia, 2 vols. Padua, 1991.
- [1]Orsini, Matt, Kyle Ponterio and Jeremy Bostwick, September 2023 World Collectors Choice Online Auction - Ancient & World Coins, Costa Mesa, CA: Stack's Bowers Galleries, Inc., 2023.
- [2]https://forums.collectors.com/discussion/945315/1570-siege-of-famagusta-bezant-coin-wild-history-inside
Link to:
- Cyprus (1517-18) 8 bezants c/m on Egypt AH 923 sultani
- Venice (1571) 10 soldi
- Coins and currency dated 1570