Malta 1648 4 tari
This specimen was lot 1365 in Sincona sale 63 (Zürich, June 2020), where it sold for 1,300 CHF (about US1,629 including buyer's fees). The catalog description[1] noted,
"MALTA, Jean-Paul Lascaris Castellar, 1636-1657. 4 Tari 1648, Valletta. Selten. Sehr schön. (Order of Malta, Jean-Paul Lascaris Castellar, 1636-1657, four tari of 1648, Valetta mint. Rare, Very fine.)"
Many of the baroque coins of Malta feature the severed head of John the Baptist on a platter. This type was struck 1637-51, 1656. This example realized over double the catalog value. 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: silver, this specimen 10.41 g.
Catalog reference: KM 69, Gatt 14-4T-181X181, Restelli 19.
- [1]Richter, Jürg, Sincona sale 63: Gold and Silver Coins and Medals, SINCONA Bullion Auction, Zürich: SINCONA AG, 2020.
- Cuhaj, George S., and Thomas Michael, Standard Catalog of World Coins, 1601-1700, 6th ed., Iola, WI: Krause Publications, 2014.
Link to: