Tuscany 1591 piastra Dav-8389
This specimen was lot 75355 in Stack's Bowers Collectors Choice sale (Costa Mesa, CA, September 2023), where it sold for $384. The catalog description[1] noted, "ITALY. Tuscany. Piastre, 1591. Florence Mint. Ferdinand I Medici. PCGS Genuine--Repaired, EF Details. A remarkable crown depicting an artful bust of Ferdinand de' Medici, the third surviving son of Cosimo I. Both sides present a uniform appearance in hand with an even endowment of light sandy gray tone that provides pleasing appeal. Perhaps there is a bit of old repairing in the fields, but it is quite hard to discern anything problematic. Therefore, the present piece has much to offer the collector seeking to expand their Italian States or Medici-focused cabinet. Ex: Claude Collier (World Crown Sale) (03/1956), lot #1162. With old handwritten ticket." After the Florentine republic collapsed, it was reconstituted as the Grand Duchy of Tuscany, ruled by the Medicis until 1723. Altho the auctioneers catalogued this as Dav-8383, it is actually Dav-8389, the most common Tuscan piastre of the sixteenth century. It was struck 1588-96.
Recorded mintage: unknown.
Specification: silver.
Catalog reference: Dav-8389; Montagano-163/2.
- Davenport, John S., European Crowns, 1484-1600, Frankfurt: Numismatischer Verlag, 1977.
- [1]Orsini, Matt, Kyle Ponterio and Jeremy Bostwick, September 2023 World Collectors Choice Online Auction - Ancient & World Coins, Costa Mesa, CA: Stack's Bowers Galleries, Inc., 2023.
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