One of the First Ducats of Antony Fluviano

Triton XVIII, Lot: 1460. Estimate $3000. Sold for $3250. This amount does not include the buyer’s fee.

CRUSADERS, Knights of Rhodes (Knights Hospitaller). Antony Fluviano. 1421-1437. AV Ducat (21mm, 3.49 g, 12h). ·/S/·/M/V/Є/N/Є/T/I to left, D/V/X and F · ΛIITONIVS to right, S. Marco standing right and Doge kneeling left, holding banner between them; pellet on shaft; pellet to left of banner; saltire on banner / · SIT · T · XIЄ · DΛT · Q TV RЄGIS ISTЭ CVDΛ, Christ standing facing, raising hand in benediction and holding Gospels, surrounded by mandorla containing nine stars; pellet between feet. Schlumberger, pl. X, 15; cf. Ives, pl. IX, B (for type); cf. Gamberini 375 (same). Superb EF. Very rare.

Ex Classical Numismatic Group XXIX (30 March 1994), lot 1370.

This coin was part of a first issue of gold ducats struck by Antony Fluviano. A direct copy of the Venetian trade ducat, Fluviano was soon required to modify the design, when Venice strongly protested. Retaining the general Venetian type, Fluviano simply replaced the name of San Marco with that of San Giovanni Battista, the patron of the Knights of Rhodes (see Gorny and Mosch 217, lot 4044 for an example of the second type). While both varieties are considered very rare, the earlier variety is considered tends to be more so with less than seven appearing at auction in the past decade