Malta (1660-63) tari
This specimen was lot 21166 in Stack's Bowers NYINC sale (New York, January 2020), where it sold for $2,640. The catalog description[1] noted, "MALTA. Tari, ND (1660-63). Valletta Mint. Rafael Cotoner. NGC VF-25. All issues from this rather brief Grand Master of the Order of Malta are considered VERY RARE, and generally always encountered circulated. Pleasingly toned, offering a solid, well centered strike and all the legends in tact, this piece will unquestionably generate a great deal of interest." Other issues of this grandmaster include KM 90 (carlino or 10 grani), KM 92 (3 tari) and KM 94 (4 tari). 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 the 1960's, 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 2.46 g.
Catalog reference: KM-91.
- Cuhaj, George S., and Thomas Michael, Standard Catalog of World Coins, 1601-1700, 6th ed., Iola, WI: Krause Publications, 2014.
- [1]Orsini, Matt, Richard Ponterio and Kyle Ponterio, The January 2020 NYINC Sale: Ancient Coins, World Coins & Paper Money, Santa Ana, CA: Stack's Bowers LLC, 2019.
Link to:
- Malta (1660-63) 2 tari Rafael Cotoner
- Malta (1662) 4 tari c/s on a copper 4 tari of 1641
- Coins and currency dated 1660