Milan (1466-76) 10 ducats Fr-686
This specimen was lot 30365 in Heritage auction 3096 (Dallas, TX, March 2021), where it sold for $120,000. The catalog description[1] noted,
"Incredibly Historic Gold Medal of Galeazzo Maria Sforza - Perhaps the Only Example in Private Hands. Milan. Galeazzo Maria Sforza gold Medal of 10 Ducats ND (1466-1476) VF Details (Reverse Damage) NGC. A piece that instantly casts a light on the period and historical context of its production, with the emissions of the Sforza dynasty of Milan occupying a unique position in the history of Italian coinage. Coming to power as the fifth Duke of Milan upon the death of his father, Francesco (who founded the Sforza line of Dukes in 1450), Galeazzo's relatively brief reign corresponded with a time of nearly unprecedented cultural and artistic revival in Italy--the craft of the Renaissance medal having just been established by the famous artist Pisanello, who died only 5 years later. Indeed, it might not be a stretch to see the present piece as Galeazzo's attempt to commemorate the glory of his house through this new medium, as although a few medals were produced under his father, it was this that was the first to be struck in gold.
Known for his cruelty and opulence, as well as his patronage of the arts, within 3-4 years of the beginning of his reign, documents indicate that financial crises were already emerging at the Milan mint, caused by the rising prices of precious metals in conjunction with burgeoning demand for gold and silver (in which the Duke almost certainly had a hand). Nonetheless, pieces such as this still managed to find production, with the incredibly scant number of surviving specimens perhaps owed to this financial crisis, and not aided by widespread distaste for Galeazzo himself.
In 1986, Crippa recorded only 3 known examples of this medal, one housed in the Civici Musei di Brescia in Italy, a second in the Kunsthistorisches Museum in Vienna (Münzkabinett n. 6801 bΑ), and a third which he simply states "is part of a very old private collection" (possibly referring to this example). Unsurprisingly, there have not been any specimens available in recent memory. This type, while recorded from the Brescia specimen in Gnecchi's Le monete di Milano, was altogether missing from the L. & L. Hamburger's 1902-1903 sales of his collection. As such, this may be a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to obtain what appears to be the only representative in private hands. Ex. Guia Collection (Bowers & Merena March 1988, Lot 623). From the Paramount Collection."
This type is deleted from the current edition of Friedberg as a medal.
Recorded mintage: unknown.
Specification: 35 g, 0.986 fine gold, this specimen 37 mm diameter, 34.45 g.
Catalog reference: Fr-686, MIR-Unl., (cf. MIR-M6 for similar issue of Ludovico Maria Sforza in silver), Gnecchi-1 (Unique?), Gnecchi Collection-Unl., CNI-Va.1, Crippa-26/A (R5; 3 known, with this piece possibly cited).
- 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.
- [1]Bierrenbach, Cristiano and Warren Tucker, Heritage World and Ancient Coins Auction 3096, featuring the Paramount Collection of World & Ancient Coins, Dallas, TX: Heritage Auction Galleries, 2021.
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