Florence (1536-74) scudo d'oro Fr-286
This specimen was lot 1398 in Stack's Bowers NYINC sale (New York, January 2022), where it sold for $1,680. The catalog description[1] noted, "ITALY. Florence. Scudo d'Oro, ND (1536-74). Cosimo I. PCGS AU-58. This very well struck example presents full legends and only light wear on the honey golden surfaces. An example that is sure to satisfy collectors of hammered gold." The republic of Florence dominated central Italy in the late Middle Ages and was a center of the Renaissance. Economic decline, external invasion and internal dissension weakened the state and it collapsed in the 1520's. Cosimo I succeeded his cousin Alessandro de' Medici as duke of Florence upon the latter's assassination in 1536. He was promoted to grand duke of Tuscany in 1569 and he and his heirs ruled there until 1737, when the dynasty fell extinct. This coin mentions his title as "FLOR·DVX·", so we presume it was minted in the first part of his reign.
Recorded mintage: unknown.
Specification: 3.25 g, 0.917 fine gold; this specimen 3.39 g.
Catalog reference: Fr-286.
- Friedberg, Arthur L. and Ira S. Friedberg, Gold Coins of the World, From Ancient Times to the Present, 9th ed., Clifton, NJ: Coin and Currency Institute, 2017.
- [1]Orsini, Matt, Kyle Ponterio and Jeremy Bostwick, The 2022 NYINC Sale: World and Ancient Coins, featuring the Mark and Lottie Salton Collection and the Pat Johnson Collection, Costa Mesa, CA: Stack's Bowers LLC, 2021.
Link to: