Ferrara (1509) testone

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Goldberg sale 81, lot 2417
photo courtesy Goldberg Coins and Collectibles
CNG sale Triton XXVII, lot 991
the duchy of Ferrara in 1494

The first specimen was lot 2417 in Goldberg sale 81 (Los Angeles, September 2014), where it did not sell. The catalog description[1] noted,

"Italian States - Ferrara. Testone, ND. Alfonso I d'Este, 1505-1534. Obverse, bearded portrait of the Duke left. Reverse, Samson holding the head of a lion, with bees coming from the mouth. A snake is on the ground. Nicely toned and in a high state of preservation for this rare coin. Bought from Seaby of London in March of 1971. NGC graded EF-45.

* Alfonso I, an engineer and patron of the arts, was born in 1476, the son of Ercole d'Este and Eleanor of Naples. Soon after becoming ruler he found that his brothers Ferrante and Giulio d'Este were plotting against him, and in 1506 they were tried for treason and sentenced to death. Just as they mounted the gallows Alfonso announced that their sentences would be commuted to life imprisonment. Ferrante died in prison after 34 years, but Giulio was pardoned in 1559 after 53 years in jail. In these brutal times Alfonso was a cunning politician. He fortified Ferrara and wisely picked his allies during an era of complex European conflicts. He remained an ally of Louis XII of France, but became an enemy of Pope Julius, who in 1510 excommunicated him and declared his fiefs forfeit, adding Ferrara to the Papal States. Alfonso fought with success against the Papal and Venetian armies and played a major part in the French victory at the battle of Ravenna 1512. Alfonso's first wife was Anna Sforza. His second wife was the famous femme fatale and member of the notorious Borgia family, Lucrezia Borgia."

The second specimen was lot 991 in CNG sale Triton XXVII (New York, January 2024), where it sold for $11,637.50. The catalog description[2] noted, "ITALY, Ferrara (Duchy). Alfonso I d'Este. 1505-1534. AR Quarto – Testone. Second emission, struck 1509. Armored bust left, with beard / Romanesque Samson seated left on curule chair, holding lion head from which a swarm of bees flies forth; stump entwined by serpent to left. Richly toned, small mark behind head, some light cabinet friction. EF. Rare. From the J. Eric Engstrom Collection, purchased from C. Subak, February 1985."

Recorded mintage: unknown.

Specification: silver, the second specimen 29 mm diameter, 9.74 g, 10h axis.

Catalog reference: CNI-X-34 (pl.XXX,22), Belessia 11/B; MIR 271.

Source:

  • [1]Goldberg, Ira, Larry Goldberg, Aleeza Brown, Yifu Che, Jason Villareal and Stephen Harvey, Goldberg Sale 81: the Pre-Long Beach Auction, Los Angeles: Goldberg Coins and Collectibles, 2014.
  • [2]Gasvoda, Michael, Victor England, Eric McFadden, Dave Michaels, Bill Dalzell and Lance Hickman, Triton XXVII, Lancaster, PA: Classical Numismatic Group, LLC, 2023.

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