Malta 1759 15 tari KM-252
This specimen was lot 1448 in Stack's Bowers NYINC sale (New York, January 2022), where it sold for $2,280. The catalog description[1] noted, "MALTA. Order of Malta. XV (15) Tari, 1759. Valletta Mint. Emmanuel Pinto. PCGS AU-58. A fully handsome example from the Order of Malta, this piece from an unusual issuer flashes with a luster and a hint of red tone. Only a faint hint of wear exists on John the Baptist, making this a superb example for the 'one from every country crowd'." The SCWC notes three different fifteen tari for this date, including KM 252 (shown here), KM 257 and KM 258.1. They vary in the pose of St. John the Baptist and the position of the lamb. On this one, the lamb is crouched, facing left. The Maltese used currency derived from their neighbors the Sicilians; 20 grani = 1 tari, 12 tari = 1 scudo.
Recorded mintage: unknown.
Specification: silver.
Catalog reference: KM-252.
- Michael, Thomas, Standard Catalog of World Coins, 1701-1800, 7th ed., Iola, WI: Krause Publications, 2016.
- [1]Orsini, Matt, Kyle Ponterio and Jeremy Bostwick, The 2022 NYINC Sale: World and Ancient Coins, featuring the Mark and Lottie Salton Collection and the Pat Johnson Collection, Costa Mesa, CA: Stack's Bowers LLC, 2021.
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