Papal States (1523-34) ducat Fr-406

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CNG sale Triton XXVII, lot 1176

This specimen was lot 1176 in CNG sale Triton XXVII (New York, January 2024), where it sold for $27,562.50. The catalog description[1] noted,

"ITALY, Papal (Papal state). Clement VII. 1523-1534. AV Ducato papale. Modena mint. Bust left, wearing mantum decorated with medallion of Sts. Peter and Paul / St. Geminianus seated facing, holding crozier and raising hand in benediction; in exergue, two coats-of-arms, the left surmounted by tasseled gallero. Slight flat strike on reverse. Good VF. Extremely rare. A wonderfully detailed portrait, particularly in the pontif[f]’s regalia. Certainly the work of a master engraver.

"The nephew of Lorenzo il Magnifico (the magnificent) and cousin of Pope Leo X, Clement VII wavered between alliances with France and the Holy Roman Empire, which led to the sack of Rome by imperial troops in 1527. On account of this attack, he grew a beard, in defiance of Church canon, to show his mourning. He kept the beard, a tradition continued by the following 24 Popes, up to his death. Clement VII also strained relations with England when he refused to annul the marriage of Henry VIII to Catherine of Aragon, ultimately causing the break of England from Rome and the advent of the Church of England."

St. Geminianus, bishop of Modena, died about 397 AD. Long venerated in Modena, his status as saint was recognized by the pope in the twelfth century. The popes struck few coins in Modena, a duchy ruled by the Este family, but this one is joined by Fr-407, a ducat with arms on the obverse and St. Geminianus on the reverse. Both are rare.

Recorded mintage: unknown.

Specification: 3.49 g, 0.986 fine gold, this specimen 23 mm diameter, 3.46 g, 12 h axis.

Catalog reference: MIR 846/1; Muntoni 111; Friedberg 406, Berman 882.

Source:

  • Berman, Allen G., Papal Coins, South Salem, NY: Attic Books, 1991.
  • 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.
  • Francesco Muntoni, Le Monete del Papi e Degli Stati Pontifici, 4 vols. Rome: P & P Santamaria, 1973.
  • [1]Gasvoda, Michael, Victor England, Eric McFadden, Dave Michaels, Bill Dalzell and Lance Hickman, Triton XXVII, Lancaster, PA: Classical Numismatic Group, LLC, 2023.

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