Savoy 1663 10 scudi d'oro Fr-1082
This specimen was lot 30384 in Heritage auction 3096 (Dallas, TX, March 2021), where it sold for $336,000. The catalog description[1] noted,
"Magnificent 10 Scudi d'Oro of Savoy. Carlo Emanuele II gold 10 Scudi d'Oro 1663 MS61+ NGC, Turin mint. A glorious representative of this highly elusive large gold emission struck under the authority of Carlo Emanuele II, the Duke of Savoy. Though Emanuele's efforts in the Second Genoese-Savoyard War would ultimately prove fruitless, he nonetheless accomplished great things during his rule, including major improvements in the realm of commerce and in the construction of important buildings, such as the Palazzo Reale. This large gold specimen serves as a testament to the dynamism of an age in which smaller and now extinct states actively vied for power and control, and its large stature leaves no doubt as to the contemporary purchasing power that it would have represented. Gleaming golden luster glides over the fields with grace, tempered only in its potency by a hint of silvery patination. Though areas of trivial lightness are evident in the strike, the Duke's hair curls and dress retain an abundance of minute detail, drawing the eye toward the center, with exceedingly light friction proving of minimal visual impact. It is a great testament to the unattainability of the type that this very coin has been plated in numerous references consulted, and indeed, no other auction results are available from the past many years. Ex. Numismatica Genevensis Auction 2 (November 2002, Lot 719); Guia Collection (Bowers & Merena March 1988, Lot 759). From the Paramount Collection."
This rare type has no photo in the SCWC. None of the silver or gold coins of Savoy of the seventeenth century can be called common. In 1714, the duke's successful participation in the War of the Spanish Succession garnered him the island of Sicily, which he traded for Sardinia in 1720. The duke was thereafter known as the king of Sardinia until his descendants claimed the throne of unified Italy in 1860.
Recorded mintage: unknown.
Specification: gold, 33.08-33.28 g, 45 mm diameter, this specimen 33.21 g.
Catalog reference: KM 270.1 (this coin), Fr-1082 (Rare), Biaggi-670 (R10), MIR-795a (R9), Bellesia-98/G (R4; this coin).
- Friedberg, Arthur L. and Ira S. Friedberg, Gold Coins of the World, From Ancient Times to the Present, 9th ed., Clifton, NJ: Coin and Currency Institute, 2017.
- Cuhaj, George S., and Thomas Michael, Standard Catalog of World Coins, 1601-1700, 6th ed., Iola, WI: Krause Publications, 2014.
- [1]Bierrenbach, Cristiano and Warren Tucker, Heritage World and Ancient Coins Auction 3096, featuring the Paramount Collection of World & Ancient Coins, Dallas, TX: Heritage Auction Galleries, 2021.
Link to: