Malta 1629 4 tari
This specimen was lot 948 in CNG Triton XXVIII (New York, January 2025), where it sold for $7,962.50. The catalog description[1] noted, "MALTA, Sovereign Military Order of Malta. Antoine de Paule. Grandmaster, 1623-1636. AR 4 Tarì. Valleta mint. Dated 1629. Crowned coat-of-arms / Head of St. John the Baptist on platter. Iridescent toning, edge splits, late die state. VF. From the Drewry Family Collection. Ex Stanley Gibbons Collection (Part II, NASCA, 7 December 1981), lot 4430." This type was struck 1623-29 and 1634 and is rare. The SCWC incorrectly shows the severed head of St. John the Baptist as upright; the correct orientation is shown here. This example realized over eight times the catalog value. Malta, an island between Italy and Tunisia, was ruled by the Knights of St. John from the 1500's until their ouster by Napoleon in 1798.
Wikipedia comments, "Fra' Antoine de Paule (c. 1551 – 9 June 1636) was elected the 56th Grand Master of the Knights Hospitaller (the Order of Malta) on 10 March 1623. He died on Malta thirteen years later, on 9 June 1636, after a long illness and at the age of 85. His epitaph eulogizes him as a leader who both loved his subjects and was loved by them in return. He is said to have made more resources available to the Order, thus strengthening it. He also sought to fortify ramparts which the Order had erected for defense."
Recorded mintage: unknown.
Specification: silver, this specimen 31 mm diameter, 10.40 g, 9 h axis.
Catalog reference: Gatt 13-4T-66X62; KM 48.
- Cuhaj, George S., and Thomas Michael, Standard Catalog of World Coins, 1601-1700, 6th ed., Iola, WI: Krause Publications, 2014.
- [1]Gasvoda, Michael, Victor England, Eric McFadden, Dave Michaels, Bill Dalzell and Lance Hickman, Triton XXVIII, Lancaster, PA: Classical Numismatic Group, LLC, 2024.
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