Malta (1657-60) 2 tari
This specimen was lot 2575 in Sincona sale 43 (Zürich, October 2017), where it sold for 4,750 CHF (about US$5,668 including buyer's fees). The catalog description[1] noted,
"MALTA, Martin de Redin, 1657-1660 2 Tari o. J. Valetta. Sehr selten. Sehr schön. (Order of Malta, Martin de Redin, 1657-1660, undated double tari, Valetta mint, Very rare, Very fine.)"
Malta, an island between Italy and Tunisia was ruled by the Knights of St. John from the 1500's to their ouster by Napoleon in 1798. After Napoleon's fall, the British occupied the island as a base until 1964, when Malta became an independent republic. The Knights of St. John, now the Order of Malta, still exist but are based in Rome where they run a hospital. The Maltese used currency derived from their neighbors the Sicilians; 20 grani = one tari, 12 tari = one scudo.
Recorded mintage: unknown.
Specification: silver, this specimen 4.86 g.
Catalog reference: Schembri 203, 1.
- Cuhaj, George S., and Thomas Michael, Standard Catalog of World Coins, 1601-1700, 6th ed., Iola, WI: Krause Publications, 2014.
- [1]Richter, Jürg, Sincona sale 43, Gold and Silver Coins and Medals, Zürich: Sincona AG, 2017.
Link to:
- c.1660 2 tari
- 1665 4 tari
- Coins and currency dated 1657
- return to coins of Order of Malta