Sale: CNG 66, Lot: 1838. Estimate $5000.  Closing Date: Wednesday, 19 May 2004.  Sold For $7000. This amount does not include the buyer’s fee.

CRUSADERS. Order of St. John (Grandmasters of Rhodes). Antoine Fluviane. 1421-1437. AV Ducat (3.41 gm). SIT T XRE DAT QTV REGIS ISTE CVDA, Christ, nimbate, standing facing, raising hand in benediction and holding Gospels / F • ANTONIVS •SM VENETI •x DVX, Grandmaster, as Doge, kneeling left before St. Mark. Schlumberger pl. X, 15 var. (obverse legend ends DVCAT); Friedberg 3. Superb EF. Very rare. ($5000)

From the Garth R. Drewry Collection. Ex Classical Numismatic Group XXIII (13 October 1992), lot 496.

Antoine Fluviane was the first Grandmaster to strike a direct copy of the popular Venetian trade ducat. After a strong protest from Venice he modified the design slightly, replacing the name of Venice with that of the patron of the Order, St. John. Both varieties are rare, and only a handful of the "Venice" ducats of Fluviane have survived. Much of the wealth of the order was exhausted defending the island against the Ottoman Turks, under Mahomet, son of Bajazet and Seif ed-Din, Sultan of Egypt. Fluviane donated some 12,000 florins to make up the shortfall and on his death in 1437 had all his possessions sold to help replenish the coffers. The order struck ducats at Rhodes until being disposessed of the island in 1522, when they transfered their headquarters to Malta.