Rhodes (1421-37) ducat Fr-3
This specimen was lot 3593 in Sincona sale 43 (Zürich, October 2017), where it sold for 1,000 CHF (about US$1,193 including buyer's fees). The catalog description[1] noted,
"KREUZFAHRER | Johanniter auf Rhodos, Anton Fluviano, 1421 - 1437 Ducato o. J. Sehr selten. Fast vorzüglich. (Crusader States, knights of St. John of Rhodes, Anton Fluviano, 1421-37, undated ducat. Very rare, About extremely fine.)"
The Hospitallers were one of the crusading knightly orders in the Holy Land until the loss of Acre, their last castle, in 1291. They were headquartered in Cyprus for a brief period then conquered Rhodes in 1310. They held the island against the Turks until 1521, when Suleiman the Magnificent forced them to leave. After a short sojourn in Sicily, they were granted the island of Malta by Charles V, which they held 1530-1798. Philippe Villiers was the last Grandmaster at Rhodes and the first at Malta in 1530. The Order today runs charity hospitals in Europe and is headquartered in Rome. This ducat is more or less a copy of the contemporary Venetian ducats.
Recorded mintage: unknown.
Specification: 3.5 g, 0.986 fine gold, this specimen: 3.54 g.
Catalog reference: Schlumberger Tf. X, 15. Fr-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]Richter, Jürg, Sincona sale 43, Gold and Silver Coins and Medals, Zürich: Sincona AG, 2017
Link to: