Malta 1764 20 scudi Fr-34
This specimen was lot 1293 in Sincona sale 76 (Zurich, May 2022), where it sold for 2,600 CHF (about US$3,156 including buyer's fees). The catalog description[1] noted,
"MALTA. Emanuel Pinto, 1741-1773. 20 Scudi 1764, Valetta. Gutes vorzüglich. NGC AU58. (Order of Malta, Emanuel Pinto, 1741-73, twenty scudi of 1764, Valetta. Good extremely fine.)"
Malta, an island between Italy and Tunisia was ruled by the Knights of St. John from the 1500's to their ouster by Napoleon in 1798. After Napoleon's fall, the British occupied the island as a base until the 1960's, when Malta became an independent republic. The Knights of St. John, now the Order of Malta, still exist but are based in Rome where they run a hospital. The Maltese used currency derived from their neighbors the Sicilians; 20 grani = 1 tari, 12 tari = 1 scudo. The Order also struck ducats. This type, slightly larger than four ducats, is rare.
Recorded mintage: unknown.
Specification: 16 g, 0.840 fine gold, this specimen 16.60 g.
Catalog reference: KM 276, Restelli/Sammut 27. Gatt 25-20S-06M06. Fr-34.
- Michael, Thomas, Standard Catalog of World Coins, 1701-1800, 7th ed., Iola, WI: Krause Publications, 2016.
- 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.
- [1]Richter, Jürg, SINCONA Auction 76, The Annemarie and Gerd Köhlmoos Collection, Zürich: SINCONA AG, 2022.
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