Papal States 1693 1/2 piastra

From CoinVarieties
Jump to navigation Jump to search
Künker sale 403, lot 1465

This specimen was lot 1465 in Künker sale 403 (Osnabrück, March 2024), where it sold for €900 (about US$1,181 including buyer's fees). The catalog description[1] noted,

"PAPST INNOCENZ XII., 1691-1700. Die Münzstätte Rom. ½ Piastra AN II/1693, Rom. Pelikan mit Jungen. Stempelschneider Pier Paolo Borner. Mit dem Wappen des Presidente della zecca, Monsieur Maffeo Farsetti, auf der Rückseite. RR Winz. Schrötlingsfehler, vorzüglich. (Papal States, Innocent XII, 1691-1700, half piastra of the year 2, Rome mint. Obverse: pelican with her young, dies by Pier Paolo Borner; reverse: arms of the mintmaster. Very rare, small planchet defects, extremely fine.)"

While real pelicans feed their young with fish and other prey, the pelicans in medieval bestiaries pierced their breasts to feed their young with the blood. This is listed in the SCWC as KM 568; the photo therein shows the pelican facing right. The motto translates as, "Not for herself but for others." The mezza piastra was the least often used of the silver denominations and most are scarce to rare.

Recorded mintage: unknown.

Specification: 16.03 g, 0.917 fine silver, this specimen 15,82 g.

Catalog reference: Muntoni -; Toffanin 2136/2 (RRR), Ber-2240, KM 568.

Source:

  • Berman, Allen G., Papal Coins, South Salem, NY: Attic Books, 1991.
  • Cuhaj, George S., and Thomas Michael, Standard Catalog of World Coins, 1601-1700, 6th ed., Iola, WI: Krause Publications, 2014.
  • Francesco Muntoni, Le Monete del Papi e Degli Stati Pontifici, 4 vols. Rome: P & P Santamaria, 1973.
  • [1]Künker, Fritz Rudolf, Horst-Rudiger Künker, Ulrich Künker and Andreas Kaiser, Katalog 403: Coins and Medals of the Popes - The significant collection of a southwest German entrepreneur, Osnabrück: Fritz Rudolf Künker GmbH & Co., AG, 2024.

Link to:

Retrieved from "https://coinvarieties.com/index.php?title=Papal_States_1693_1/2_piastra&oldid=536036"