Malta 1774 20 scudi Fr-41
This specimen was lot 12354 in Ponterio sale 177 (Chicago, August 2013), where it sold for $3,525. The catalog description[1] noted, "MALTA. 20 Scudi, 1774. NGC MS-62. Francisco Ximenez de Texeda (1773-75)." 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 the 1960's, 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 = 1 tari, 12 tari = 1 scudo. The Order also struck ducats. This type, slightly larger than four ducats, is rare.
Recorded mintage: unknown.
Specification: 16 g, .840 fine gold, .432 troy oz AGW.
Catalog reference: Fr-41; KM-294; Restelli-5; Schembri-2.
- Friedberg, Arthur L. and Ira S. Friedberg, Gold Coins of the World, From Ancient Times to the Present, 9th ed., Clifton, NJ: Coin and Currency Institute, 2017.
- Michael, Thomas, Standard Catalog of World Coins, 1701-1800, 7th ed., Iola, WI: Krause Publications, 2016.
- [1]Ponterio, Richard, Ponterio sale 177: The August 2013 Chicago ANA Auction, World Coins, Irvine, CA: Stack's Bowers, LLC, 2013.
Link to:
- 1773 20 scudi
- 1774 2 scudi
- 1774 10 scudi
- 1778 20 scudi
- Coins and currency dated 1774
- return to coins of Order of Malta