Naples and Sicily 1844 30 ducati Fr-866
This specimen was lot 1980 in Jean Elsen sale 162 (Brussels, June 2025), where it sold for €5,500 (about US$7,623 including buyer's fees). The catalog description[1] noted,
"ITALIE, NAPLES et SICILE, Ferdinand II (1830-1859), AV 30 ducati, 1844. Griffes, la tranche légèrement retravaillée. Avec brillant de frappe. (Italy, kingdom of Naples and Sicily, Ferdinand II, 1830-59, gold thirty ducati of 1844. Scratches, tooling on the edge, mint luster, Very Fine - Extremely Fine.)"
This type was struck 1844-48 and 1854. It varies from earlier issues by the addition of a beard to the king's bust but Friedberg lumps them all under one number. These large gold coins were issued intermittently until 1856 and all are rare. Ferdinand became known as "king Bomba" after he ordered his navy to shell the city of Messina in 1848. The Kingdom of the Two Sicilies was annexed to Italy in 1860 but remains poor, backward and corrupt.
Recorded mintage: unknown.
Specification: 37.87 g, 0.996 fine gold, 35.5 mm diameter, this specimen 37,79 g.
Catalog reference: KM 357 (formerly C157c), P.R. 6; M.I.R. 486; Fr-866.
- Fabrizi, Davide, Monete Italiane Regionale: Napoli, Pavia: Edizioni Numismatica Varesi, 2010.
- 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.
- Gigante, Fabio, Gigante 2016: Catalogo Nazionale delle Monete Italiano Dal '700 All'Euro, 24a ed. Varese, Italy, 2015.
- Michael, Thomas, and Tracy L. Schmidt, Standard Catalog of World Coins, 1801-1900, 9th ed., Iola, WI: Krause Publications, 2019.
- Montenegro, Eupremio, Montenegro 2015: Manuale del Collezionista di Monete Italiane, 30 ed., Torino, Italy: Montenegro s.a.s., 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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