Venice 1744-VL osella KM-X288
This specimen was lot 42595 in Stack's Bowers Summer 2026 Global Showcase Auction (Pittsburgh, September 2026), where it sold for $11,285. The catalog description[1] noted, "Wonderful Gold Osella in Covetable Mint State Condition, ITALY. Venice. Gold Osella of 4 Zecchini Weight, 1744 Year IV. Venice Mint. Pietro Grimani. NGC MS-61. Obverse: St. Mark seated at left, receiving banner from Doge kneeling at right; Reverse: Four lines of text with date and papal year, all within closed wreath. A gorgeous representative of this RARE 4 Zecchini type, the obverse design of which borrows from that of the long-standing Zecchino denomination. Fully Mint State and in exceptional condition for the issue as such, with unbroken satiny luster and surfaces utterly free of any major detractions. The strike is quite neat and bold, with perfect centering on either side and no strike doubling of note, the elegant design rendered in crisp detail. A denomination that has become quite tough to acquire in appreciable quality in recent years, as large-sized Venetian gold issues very commonly feature repairs, holes, wear, or other major surfaces issues, and problem-free survivors often disappear into long-term collections when they do come to market." Oselli are unique to Venice; they are medals in nature, serving as commemoratives or awards of merit, but often circulated as the republic did not issue much silver in this size. Hundreds of designs exist. The closest analog are the jetons of France, which began as reckoning counters but evolved into commemoratives similar to this. The reverse legend, "PETRI GRIMANI PRINCIPIS MVNVS", translates as, "The gift of Prince Peter Grimani." The dies were also used to strike KM X289 in silver.
Recorded mintage: unknown.
Specification: 13.8 g, gold, 35-37 mm diameter. This specimen 13.92 g.
Catalog reference: Paolucci-418; KM-X288.
- Cuhaj, George S., and Thomas Michael, Unusual World Coins, 6th ed., Iola, WI: Krause Publications, 2011.
- Rafaele Paolucci, La Zecca di Venezia, 2 vols. Padua, 1991.
- [1]Orsini, Matt, Kyle Ponterio and Jeremy Bostwick, Summer 2026 Global Showcase Auction, Costa Mesa, CA: Stack's Bowers LLC, 2026.
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