Sale: Triton XII, Lot: 913. Estimate $200.  Closing Date: Monday, 5 January 2009.  Sold For $325. This amount does not include the buyer’s fee.

INDIA, AFRICA, or ARABIA, Local Issues. 19th-20th centuries. AR and AV “Ducats”. Imitating Venice. Uncertain mint. All coins: St. Mark standing right, holding Gospels and presenting flag to Doge kneeling left / Christ standing facing, raising hand in benediction and holding Gospels, surrounded by elliptical halo containing stars. Lot includes: AR Ducat (1.65 g). Circa 1920’s or earlier. // Gilt AR Ducat (1.95 g). Circa 1920’s or earlier. // AR Die Trial (2.42 g). Indian couple standing facing, trident or tree between / Female deity (perhaps Lakshmi) in closed elliptical halo; four and five stars flanking. Oversize strike of dies for gold or silver putlis // German Silver Ducat (3.43 g). Circa 1860’s-1910’s. O/V/C/H/M/E/I, Y/C/O, IDOT NOCEN •, Saint and Doge, resembling plants / • • DIOESIMIVOC •, plant-like figure in lieu of Christ; sixteen stars around in closed elliptical halo. Indian or Levantine (?) prototype to the ‘John Cooke & Sons Token. Very rare in nickel alloy // Brass “Ducat” (2.32 g). Circa 1870’s-1920’s. Designs as previous. // John Cooke & Sons, London. Gilt-Brass Jeton or Counter (1.52 g). Before 1906. Non-Latin prototype. Designs as previous, but with scalloped edges. // Same. (1.49 g). As previous, but reverse legend: JOANNES • ILLE. COQVVS : SVI • FILIIQVE • // 24mm Jeton. (2.69 g). Before 1906. Designs as previous. // Alexandria, Egypt? AR “Ducat” Token (2.21 g). Before 1910. Blundered Alvise Mocenigo legends, heavily abstracted Saint and Doge, pole and D/V/X at center / Heavily stylized Christ in elliptical halo with three and five stars flanking; slightly blundered legends around. A jewelry imitation made of two foil strikes soldered together. Hasluck collected these at Alexandria in 1910, where they were being made. // Brass Putli (2.83 g). Indian couple flanking staff / Vithoba wearing crown and trousers; three rosettes on either side. Cf. Ives pls. XIV and XV; cf. British Museum 1921.12.3.7 Crawford Bequest; cf. British Museum Hasluck Bequest; cf. Cribb Groups A and G; cf. Mitchiner Tokens 9053-9057; British Museum 1920.9.7.711 Hasluck Bequest (same dies); (British Museum 1989.9.4.4109-4115); cf. Mitchiner Indian 161-162. Coins Fine to VF, second coin pierced, tenth coin with suspension loop attached. LOT SOLD AS IS, NO RETURNS. Ten (10) coins in lot.

From the B.R. Bell Collection.

There is a strange relationship among India, Arabia or the Levant, Europe, and Africa in the later imitative ducat series. Specimens of the Indian type can be collected at bazaars and markets in Arabia and the Levant, leading to speculation that some of them were actually struck there. There is certain evidence of imitations being made in Egypt and Lebanon, plus some have pedigrees from the Yemen. Furthermore, it would appear that English and perhaps German or Austrian firms found a way to mass-produce crude Indian or Levantine jewelry imitations that were then imported to India, and possibly also sold to African natives in the colonial trade.