Milan (1494-99) teston
This specimen was lot 41057 in Stack's Bowers ANA sale (Costa Mesa, CA, August 2021), where it sold for $1,200. The catalog description[1] noted, "ITALY. Milan. Teston, ND (1494-99). Ludovico Maria Sforza. PCGS AU-50 Gold Shield. An archetypal Italian Renaissance type, highly prized and desirable in this About Uncirculated designation with pleasing gunmetal tone and traces of residual luster in the recesses." This type was struck by the Sforzas just prior to the French occupation of Milan. The French invasion of Italy was the beginning of the end of the Renaissance as the devastation of the resulting war terminated Italian prosperity. The teston, a half dollar size coin, was the first large coin issued as Italy emerged from the Middle Ages and the increased volume of trade demanded larger coins. Soon after, the German thaler, struck on a press, would supersede the teston.
Wikipedia comments, "Ludovico Maria Sforza (Italian: [ludoˈviːko maˈriːa ˈsfɔrtsa]; 27 July 1452 – 27 May 1508), also known as Ludovico il Moro (Italian: [il ˈmɔːro]; "the Moor"), was an Italian Renaissance nobleman who ruled as Duke of Milan from 1494, following the death of his nephew Gian Galeazzo Sforza, until 1499. A member of the Sforza family, he was the fourth son of Francesco I Sforza. He was famed as a patron of Leonardo da Vinci and other artists, and presided over the final and most productive stage of the Milanese Renaissance. He is probably best known as the man who commissioned The Last Supper, as well as for his role in precipitating the Italian Wars."
Recorded mintage: unknown.
Specification: silver.
Catalog reference: MIR-229.
- [1]Orsini, Matt, Kyle Ponterio and Jeremy Bostwick, The August 2021 ANA sale: World and Ancient Coins, Costa Mesa, CA: Stack's Bowers LLC, 2021.
Link to: