Sicily (1231-50) 3 tari d'oro Fr-647
This specimen was lot 1561 in Jean Elsen sale 162 (Brussels, June 2025), where it sold for €950 (about US$1,317 including buyer's fees). The catalog description[1] noted,
"ITALIE, SICILE, Frédéric II de Hohenstaufen (1197-1250), AV multiple de tari, 1231-1250, Messine (?). D/ Six globules formant une rosace. Légende coufique sur le tour. R/ Croix longue. De part et d'autre, IC-XC/ NI-KA sous deux traits. (Italy, kingdom of Sicily, Frederick II, 1197-1250, gold multiple tari, circa 1231-50, probably Messina mint. Obverse: six pellets formed in a rosette, Kufic legend around; reverse: long cross divides "IC-XC" and "NI-KA" in two lines. Very Fine.)"
Sicily was conquered by the Muslims in the late tenth century and held by them until the coming of the Normans in the late eleventh century. Wikipedia comments, "Until the late twelfth century, and probably as late as the 1220s, Muslims formed a majority of the island's population, and even occupied positions in the royal court. But by the mid thirteenth century, Muslims who had not already left or converted to Christianity were expelled, ending roughly four hundred years of Islamic presence in Sicily." The Hohenstaufens deported the remaining Muslims in the 1240's and thereafter any Muslims present were imported slaves. The Muslim influence shows in the Kufic inscriptions on this coin. The Hohenstaufens ruled Sicily 1198-1266.
Recorded mintage: unknown.
Specification: gold, this specimen 3,22 g.
Catalog reference: Fr-647, Spahr 85; M.E.C. XIV, 522.
- 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.
- Grierson, Philip, Coins of Medieval Europe, London: B. A. Seaby Ltd., 1991.
- [1]Elsen, Philippe, et al., Vente Publique 162: Collection Jacques Druart, Brussels: Jean Elsen et ses Fils S.A., 2025.
Link to:
- Sicily (1209-20) 4 tari d'oro Fr-644 Frederick II
- Sicily (1220-50) 4 tari d'oro Fr-650a2 Frederick II
- Sicily (1220-50) 5 tari d'oro Fr-650 Frederick II
- Coins and currency dated 1231