Sicily 1713-DD AC CP tari

Sincona sale 51, lot 3619

This specimen was lot 3619 in Sincona sale 51 (Zurich, October 2018), where it sold for 4,500 CHF (about US$5,428 including buyer's fees). The catalog description^[1] noted,

"Vittorio Amedeo II. 1713-1718. Tari 1713, Palermo. Von grösster Seltenheit. Sehr schön. (kingdom of Sicily, Victor Amadeus of Savoy, 1713-18, tari of 1713, Palermo mint. Of the highest rarity, Very fine.)"

The SCWC notes that 24 carlini = 12 tari = 1 piastra, where a piastra is roughly equal to a peso. Charles II, the last Hapsburg king of Spain, was also king of Naples and Sicily. After his death the area passed out of the hands of the Spanish crown, only to be reconquered by them in the 1730's. Philip V of Spain was able to strike a few coins in his name early in his reign but he was forced to surrender all his Italian claims by the Treaty of Utrecht in 1713. Victor Amadeus took over and ruled until 1720, when he was forced to trade Sicily for Sardinia, held by Austria. The tari was a denomination used only in Sicily and neighboring Malta, not in Naples proper. This type, along with the very similar KM 86, is rare.

Recorded mintage: unknown.

Specification: silver, 2.45-2.60 g, 18 mm diameter, this specimen 2.48 g.

Catalog reference: KM 85, MIR 899. Biaggi 769 a.

Source:

• Michael, Thomas, Standard Catalog of World Coins, 1701-1800, 7th ed., Iola, WI: Krause Publications, 2016.
• Fabrizi, Davide, Monete Italiane Regionale: Napoli, Pavia: Edizioni Numismatica Varesi, 2010.
• ^[1]Richter, Jurg, Sincona Auction 51: Gold and Silver Coins and Medals; Coins and Medals from Switzerland, Zurich: SINCONA AG, 2018.

Link to:

• Sicily 1701 tari
• Naples 1716-IM GBA tari, Charles III of Austria
• Coins and currency dated 1713
• return to coins of Italy, Naples & Sicily