Desana (1515-16) testone
This specimen was lot 42414 in Stack's Bowers ANA sale (Chicago, August 2024), where it sold for $10,800. The catalog description[1] noted, "Exceptional Testone with a Great Renaissance Portrait, ITALY. Desana. Testone, ND (1515-16). Desana Mint. Francesco Mareuil. PCGS AU-50. A marvelous RARITY, this specimen features a sublime renaissance portrait of the briefly-reigning Count, with a depiction of St. Peter seated facing upon the reverse, the keys to heaven held in his left hand. Lightly toned, with a mostly steely gray nature and some olive-aquamarine hues spread elegantly around the devices. This example represents one of just a few to have been available via auction over the past two decades, attesting to the stunning opportunity that this piece allows. From the Richard Margolis Collection." Today Desana is an insignificant village in the Piedmont region of Italy, population 1,085 as of 2004. It was a semi-independent enclave in the duchy of Savoy, ruled by the Tizzoni 1411-1693. A mint was opened in 1510 to strike imitations of coins of neighboring states.
Recorded mintage: unknown.
Specification: silver.
Catalog reference: MIR-450.
- [1]Orsini, Matt, Kyle Ponterio and Jeremy Bostwick, August 2024 Global Showcase Auction, World & Ancient Coins, featuring The Emilio M. Ortiz Collection, The Richard Margolis Collection and The Rutherford Collection, Costa Mesa, CA: Stack's Bowers Galleries, Inc., 2024.
Link to:
- Desana (1510-25) testone, Ludovico II Tizzone
- Desana (1516-29) testone, Pietro Berard
- Coins and currency dated 1515