Sicily 1751 1/2 tari
This specimen was lot 57335 in Stack's Bowers NYINC sale (New York, January 2024), where it sold for $240. The catalog description[1] noted, "ITALY. Naples & Sicily (Sicily). 1/2 Tari, 1751. Carlo V (future Charles III of Spain). PCGS AU-58." Sicily, having been Spanish for several centuries, fell to Sardinian rule in 1714 as part of the partition which ended the War of the Spanish Succession. King Philip V's second wife was Italian and was anxious to carve out territories for her son Carlos, who was not expected to inherit the throne of Spain. Accordingly, a Spanish army was sent to Italy and after various adventures, managed to conquer Sicily in 1720 and Naples in 1734. Carlos ruled the area as "Carlo di Borbone" until he inherited the throne of Spain on the death of his half brother Fernando in 1759. This denomination was struck in 1751.
Recorded mintage: unknown.
Specification: 1.1 g, 0.908 fine silver.
Catalog reference: KM 174 (formerly KM-C5.3b).
- Michael, Thomas, Standard Catalog of World Coins, 1701-1800, 7th ed., Iola, WI: Krause Publications, 2016.
- Montenegro, Eupremio, Montenegro 2015: Manuale del Collezionista di Monete Italiane, 30 ed., Torino, Italy: Montenegro s.a.s., 2014.
- [1]Orsini, Matt, Kyle Ponterio and Jeremy Bostwick, January 2024 NYINC Auction, featuring the Emilio M Ortiz Collection and a Symphony of Russian Rarities, the Rothschild-Piatigorsky Collection, Costa Mesa, CA: Stack's Bowers Galleries, Inc., 2023.
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