Naples and Sicily 1685-AG A carlino
This specimen was lot 1973 in Jean Elsen sale 162 (Brussels, June 2025), where it sold for €150 (about US$208 including buyer's fees). The catalog description[1] noted,
"ITALIE, NAPLES, Charles II (1665-1700), AR carlino, 1685. D/ B. dr. et cuir. à d. R/ Lion couché à g. devant la couronne royale posée sur un socle inscrit AG/A. Belle patine. (Italy, kingdom of Naples, Charles II, 1665-1700, silver carlino of 1685. Obverse: draped and armored bust right; reverse: lion seated left before a royal crown posed on a box marked with the mintmaster's initials. Nice patina, Extremely Fine.)"
This type was struck 1683-87. The SCWC notes that 12 carlini = six tari = one piastra, where a piastra is roughly equal to a peso. Charles II, the last Hapsburg king of Spain, was also king of Naples and Sicily. After his death the area passed out of the hands of the Spanish crown, only to be reconquered by them in the 1730's.
Recorded mintage: unknown.
Specification: 2.9 g, silver, 23 mm diameter, this specimen 2,81 g.
Catalog reference: KM 107, P.R. 30; M.I.R. 301/3.
- Cuhaj, George S., and Thomas Michael, Standard Catalog of World Coins, 1601-1700, 6th ed., Iola, WI: Krause Publications, 2014.
- [1]Elsen, Philippe, et al., Vente Publique 162: Collection Jacques Druart, Brussels: Jean Elsen et ses Fils S.A., 2025.
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