Malta 1695 4 zecchini Fr-14
This specimen was lot 3615 in Sincona sale 43 (Zürich, October 2017), where it sold for 60,000 CHF (about US$71,598 including buyer's fees). The catalog description[1] noted,
"MALTA, Adrien de Wignacourt, 1690-1697 4 Zecchini 1695. Valetta. Von grösster Seltenheit. Vorzüglich. (Order of Malta, Adrien de Wignacourt, 1690-1697, four zecchini of 1695, Valetta mint. Of the highest rarity, 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 = one tari, 12 tari = one scudo.
Recorded mintage: unknown.
Specification: 14 g, 0.986 fine gold, this specimen 13.88 g.
Catalog reference: KM 126, Restelli/Sammut 1. Fr-14.
- Cuhaj, George S., and Thomas Michael, Standard Catalog of World Coins, 1601-1700, 6th ed., Iola, WI: Krause Publications, 2014.
- 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 sale 43, Gold and Silver Coins and Medals, Zürich: Sincona AG, 2017.
Link to:
- (1680-90) zecchino
- 1705 zecchino
- Coins and currency dated 1695
- return to coins of Order of Malta