Savoy (1504-53) testone
This specimen was lot 2042 in Künker sale 293 (Osnabrück, Germany, July 2017), where it sold for €2,000 (about US$2,696 including buyer's fees). The catalog description[1] noted,
"ITALIEN, SAVOYEN, Carlo II. 1504-1553. Testone o. J. Bourg. RR Hübsche Patina, sehr schön. (duchy of Savoy, Charles II, 1504-53, undated testone, Bourg-Saint-Maurice mint. Rare, handsome patina, very fine.)"
This coin was minted by the duke of Savoy in the late Renaissance. The French invasion of Italy in 1494 was the beginning of the end of the Renaissance as the devastation of the resulting war terminated Italian prosperity. The testone, a half dollar size coin, was the first large coin issued as Italy emerged from the Middle Ages and the increased volume of trade demanded larger coins. Soon after, the German thaler, struck on a press, would supersede the testone. The duke of Savoy was promoted to king of Sardinia in 1720 and king of Italy in 1861.
Recorded mintage: unknown.
Specification: silver.
Catalog reference: Cudazzo 340/339.
- [1]Künker Münzauktionen und Goldhandel, Katalog 293: Münzen aus Mittelalter und Neuzeit u. a. die westfälischen Privatsammlungen Werner Bröker und Bernd Terletzki, Osnabrück: Fritz Rudolf Künker GmbH & Co., AG, 2017.
Link to: