Venice (1501)-PC mocenigo
The first specimen was lot 1800 in Jean Elsen sale 149 (Brussels, December 2021), where it did not sell. The catalog description[1] noted,
"ITALIE, VENISE, Leonardo Loredan (1501-1521), AR mocenigo (lira), s.d. (1501). Sigle PC (Pietro Coco). D/ Le Doge agenouillé à g., recevant une bannière des mains de saint Marc. R/ Le Christ deb. de f. sur un piédestal, bénissant et ten. une croix. Belle patine. Très Beau. (Italy, republic of Venice, Leonardo Loredan, 1501-21, undated silver mocenigo or lira, initials PC. Obverse: the doge kneels to left, receiving a banner from St. Mark; reverse: Christ standing, facing, bearing a cross and blessing. Nice patina, Very Fine.)"
The second specimen was lot 30511 in Stack's Bowers ANA sale (Chicago, August 2022), where it sold for $1,680. The catalog description[2] noted, "ITALY. Venice. 20 Soldi, ND (1501-21). Leonardo Loredan. PCGS MS-64. Obverse: Doge kneels before St. Mark; Reverse: Christ standing facing upon a tablet with the mint master's initials below. An incredible piece with seldom seen condition for the period, this impressive offering displays rich mint luster along with sharp strike and a soft golden hue near the peripheries. A charmer through and through." The lira was worth twenty soldi. In the seventeenth century, the SCWC mentions a liretta (KM 324, 3.77 g, 0.826 fine silver) and a 1/8 scudo (KM MB 292, 4.54 g, 0.948 fine silver), neither of which seem to match this coin.
"Lira Mocenigo (o più semplicemente Mocenigo) è la lira veneziana emessa per la prima volta sotto il dogato di Pietro Mocenigo tra il 1474 ed il 1476. Il Mocenigo mantenne il nome anche con i dogi successivi e fu coniata fino al 1575. I tipi sono quelli classici: al dritto è rappresentato il doge inginocchiato che riceve lo stendardo da San Marco ed al rovescio il Cristo nimbato. Pesava circa 6,52 grammi ed era al titolo del 928 millesimi di fino. Ebbero lo stesso nome anche monete simili di Modena e Mantova, coniate nel XVI secolo. (the lira mocenigo (or simply mocenigo) was the Venetian lira emitted for the first time under the doge Pietro Mocenigo in 1474. The mocenigo maintained its name under successive doges until its final issue in 1575. The design is classic, representing the kneeling doge receiving the standard of St. Mark from the haloed Christ. It was about 6.52 g, .928 fine silver. Similar coins were minted at Modena and Mantua until the sixteenth century.)" from Wikipedia
Recorded mintage: unknown but not common.
Specification: 6.52 g, .928 fine silver, the first specimen is 6,49 g.
Catalog reference: Pap. 103, 11; Paolucci 55, 3. The second specimen is Gamberini-245.
- Rafaele Paolucci, La Zecca di Venezia, 2 vols. Padua, 1991.
- [1]Elsen, Philippe, et al., Vente Publique 149: Monnaies, Médailles et Décorations, Brussels: Jean Elsen et ses Fils S.A., 2021.
- [2]Orsini, Matt, Kyle Ponterio and Jeremy Bostwick, The 2022 ANA Auction - Ancients & World Coins - Featuring The Salton Collection Part III, the Augustana Collection and the Robert C. Knepper Collection, Costa Mesa, CA: Stack's Bowers LLC, 2022.
Link to:
- (1494)-MPX mocenigo, Agostino Barbarigo
- Venice (1487)-CK mocenigo = lira
- (1497-98)-IP marcello = mezza lira
- Venice (1501-21) zecchino Fr.1242
- Venice (1515) mocenigo
- Coins and currency dated 1501