Modena (1505-34) scudo d'oro Fr-760
This specimen was lot 1404 in Stack's Bowers NYINC sale (New York, January 2022), where it sold for $4,560. The catalog description[1] noted, "ITALY. Modena. Scudo d'Oro, ND (1505-34). Alfonso I D'Este. PCGS Genuine--Repaired, AU Details. An early example of Italian gold, this piece from Modena has beautiful honey gold tone and only light wear on the surfaces. As PCGS notes, there has been a repair that is evident at 10 o'clock. This piece would be a nice addition for lovers of world gold that are constrained by budget." Alfonso, among other things, married the notorious Lucrezia Borgia. The Este family managed to remain Dukes of Modena from the sixteenth century until the coming of Napoleon in 1796. They lost Ferrara to the Papal States in 1598. This scudo d'oro is one of only two gold issues of this ruler. This example, which was expected to sell cheap, realized several multiples of the estimate. The seated figure is St. Geminianus, bishop of Modena in the fourth century.
Recorded mintage: unknown.
Specification: 3.25 g, 0.917 fine gold; this specimen 3.30 g.
Catalog reference: Fr-760.
- 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]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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