Sale: Triton XII, Lot: 907. Estimate $300.  Closing Date: Monday, 5 January 2009.  Sold For $300. This amount does not include the buyer’s fee.

CRUSADERS, Uncertain. AV Ducat (3.43 g, 12h). Imitating Knights of Malta (Order of St. John of Jerusalem). Uncertain mint. Struck in the name of Adrien de Wignacourt (?), 1690-1697. IOИHAI (retrograde C)/V/X AHT MOIA •, •M• in exergue, St. John standing right, holding Gospels and presenting cross-tipped scepter to Doge kneeling left / O MAIAOIIMAO • O • INIASOIMO, Christ standing facing, raising hand in benediction and holding Gospels, surrounded by elliptical halo containing seveteen rosettes. Ives -; Gamberini -; LHS 99, 291 (same dies). EF, light encrustation. Very rare.

From the B.R. Bell Collection.

LHS Numismatic attributed this coin as an imitation of a dated issue of Adrien de Wignacourt, 1690-1697. Although the fact that his ducats display a shield on the reverse calls this specific attribution into question, a derivative form of ‘John’ in the exergue does point towards a Rhodian or Maltese prototype. The long cross replacing the former flags on the obverse demonstrates that this piece is indeed post 1675 – well after the last Rhodian ducats. The exergue line does also resemble issues of Malta, but the insertion of a large ‘M’ is certainly confusing. The second half of the reverse legend somewhat resembles the Indian brass tokens from 1870 or before, with the legends ending in ‘DIOESIMIVOC.’ It is likely that coins like this one reached India to serve as the basis for later imitative pieces not based upon original Venetian coins.