Mytilene (1400-49) ducat Fr-8
This specimen was lot 33817 in Heritage sale 3067 (Long Beach, September 2018), where it sold for $840. The catalog description[1] noted, "Crusader States: Mytilene. Dorino Gattilusio, Lord of Chios, Lesbos, and Phocaea gold Ducat ND (1400-49) AU58 NGC. DORINVS GTЄ | • D | • M | Є | T | Є | L | I, Doge or Dorino Gattilusio kneeling left before St. Mark (standing right), receiving banner, DVX (stacked) to right / • SIT T RЄ DΛT ? TV | RЄGIS ISTЄ DVCΛT, Christ in glory (surrounded by mandorla), book of Gospels in left hand, raising right in benediction, four stars to left, five to right. An intriguing historical issue bearing both the ruler's name and the name of the locality where it was struck. While containing a certain crudeness with signs of double-striking, this coin displays relatively light and even wear. Dorino Gattilusio himself was the fourth Gattilusio lord of Lesbos during a time of rising Ottoman influence, and his struggle for independence may well account for the seemingly rushed execution of the present issue. Comes with old CNG tag. From the Collection of a Philhellene." In 1261, the Fourth Crusade was diverted from the Holy Land to attack Constantinople. The capture of that city shattered the Byzantine Empire and various groups of Crusaders successfully seized various pieces, including parts of Greece and most of the Aegean islands. This particular Italian princeling controlled the islands of Chios and Lesbos and the port of Phocaea on the Turkish coast, with its lucrative alum mines. Alum was a mineral essential in cloth processing, as it enabled the dye to stick to the cloth. This gold coin is an imitation of a Venetian ducat, perhaps Fr-1230.
Recorded mintage: unknown.
Specification: 3.50 g, 0.986 fine gold, this specimen 3.53 g.
Catalog reference: Fr-8, Ives Plate XII, 3.
- 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]Cristiano Bierrenbach, Warren Tucker and Sam Spiegel, 2018 September 6-11 Long Beach Expo World Coins & Ancient Coins Signature Auction #3067, Dallas: Heritage Auction Galleries, 2018.
Link to: