Malta (1662) 4 tari
This specimen was lot 47965 in Stack's Bowers NYINC sale (New York, January 2026), where it sold for $384. The catalog description[1] noted, "MALTA. 4 Tari, ND (1662). Grandmaster Rafael Cotoner. FINE; Countermark: VERY FINE. Countermarks: Head of John the Baptist in oval (Edict of 19 April 1662) with previous Imperial eagle in circle (Edict of 28 May 1646). Applied to the obverse of a 1641 Order of Malta 4 Tari of Jean-Paul Lascaris Castellar." The host coin was a fiduciary four tari struck by Giovani Paolo Lascaris Castellar (KM 68) dated 1636-47. Silver four tari (KM 69) also exist. This countermark is third in a series of nine different stamps applied at various times in 1646, 1662 (shown here), 1696, 1740, 1741, 1766, 1777 and 1792. Some coins were stamped multiple times to revalidate them. Two taris also received the same treatment. 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.
Recorded mintage: unknown.
Specification: copper.
Catalog reference: KM-97.
- Cuhaj, George S., and Thomas Michael, Standard Catalog of World Coins, 1601-1700, 6th ed., Iola, WI: Krause Publications, 2014.
- [1]Orsini, Matt, Kyle Ponterio and Jeremy Bostwick, January 2026 NYINC Showcase Auction, Ancient and World Coins, featuring the Kazmier Wysocki Collection, Costa Mesa, CA: Stack's Bowers Galleries, Inc., 2025.
Link to:
- Malta 1649 4 tari silver
- Malta (1660-63) tari Rafael Cotoner
- Malta (1660-63) 2 tari Rafael Cotoner
- Coins and currency dated 1662