Sale: Nomos 2, Lot: 232. Estimate CHF50000.  Closing Date: Monday, 17 May 2010.  Sold For CHF55000. This amount does not include the buyer’s fee.

CRUSADERS, Knights of Rhodes (Knights Hospitallers). Emery d’Amboise. 1503-1512. 2 Ducats (Gold, 6. 94 g 4). +.F.EMERICVS.DAMBOYSE.MAGNQ.MAG.R. Arms of Amboise quartered with those of the Order. Rev. +AGN:DEI:QVI.TOLIS:PECCA.MVD.MISE.NO: Nimbate Pascal lamb standing left, head turned back to right to view the banner of the Order behind him. Fr. 7. Schlumberger p. 261 (citing a piece bearing these legends then in the Montenuovo collection in Vienna). Extremely rare, one of only a very few known examples. Lightly toned. Very slightly wavy flan with sllight traces of mounting, otherwise, nearly extremely fine.

From the collection of Professor J. R. Stewart, Baldwin 48, 26 September 2006, 5084, acquired from Baldwin’s on 11 April 1960 and from the collection of Archduke Sigismund of Austria.

Emery d’Amboise was born in 1434 in the chateau of Chaumont-sur-Loire, the third son of Pierre d’Amboise, chamberlain of Charles VII and Louis XII. He had a long career in the Order of St. John, rising to become treasurer and commander of the galleys under his predecessor as grand master, Pierre d’Aubusson. D’Amboise was elected grand master on 10 July 1503: on his departure for the island Louis XII gave him the sword that St. Louis (Louis IX, 1226-1270) had used on his crusades. As a grand master d’Amboise actively raided against Turkish forces as well as those of the Sultan of Egypt; but he was also fully aware of the coming Turkish threat to the island (they would finally take it in 1523) and spent a great deal of effort strengthening its defenses. His most common coins are the usual gold ducats struck on Rhodes; all his other issues are much rarer, even minor coins struck in base metal. However, his multiple ducats, as this, were the rarest of them all and must have been produced in very small numbers as prestige gifts for important patrons of the Order.