Malta 1757 30 tari Dav-1600
This specimen was lot 10567 in Ponterio sale 169 (Baltimore, November 2012), where it sold for $352. The catalog description[1] noted, "ORDER OF MALTA. 30 Tari, 1757. PCGS EF-45 Secure Holder. Emmanuel Pinto (1741-73). Toned." The thirty tari was the equivalent of the piastra and was issued until the island was occupied by the French in 1798. This type was issued 1756-59. 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.
Catalog reference: Dav-1600; KM-A256.
- Davenport, John S., European Crowns, 1700-1800, 2nd Ed., London: Spink & Son, 1964.
- Michael, Thomas, Standard Catalog of World Coins, 1701-1800, 7th ed., Iola, WI: Krause Publications, 2016.
- [1]Ponterio, Richard, Ponterio sale 169: The November 2012 Baltimore Auction, Irvine, CA: Stack's Bowers, LLC, 2012.
Link to: