Sicily 1539-IP 2 tari
This specimen was lot 75468 in Stack's Bowers Collectors Choice Online Auction (Costa Mesa, CA, October 2024), where it sold for $145. The catalog description[1] noted, "ITALY. Naples & Sicily (Sicily). 2 Tari, 1539. Messina Mint. Carlo V. NGC AU Details--Obverse Scratched. The noted scratch can be easily overlooked in light of this Italian issue's gorgeous tone and overall original appearance." The kingdom of Sicily had long been ruled together with the kingdom of Naples but was divided by the Sicilian Vespers of 1282, in which Charles of Anjou was ejected from Sicily by Peter of Aragon but retained Naples. Aragonese rule passed into Spanish rule under the Catholic kings and thence to Charles V, king of Spain and Holy Roman emperor. Charles spent much time in Italy, where his soldiers sacked Rome in 1527, but we don't think he ever visited Sicily. Numista doesn't show this type but notes a single tari for 1536 and 1539.
Recorded mintage: unknown.
Specification: 5.88 g, silver, this specimen 5.80 g.
Catalog reference: Spahr-189.
- [1]Orsini, Matt, Kyle Ponterio and Jeremy Bostwick, October 2024 World Collectors Choice Online Auction, featuring the S.P. Rutherford Collection, Costa Mesa, CA: Stack's Bowers Galleries, Inc., 2024.
Link to: