MALTA, Order of Knights of the Hospital of St. John of Jerusalem (Knights of Malta). Jean Parisot de Valette. Grandmaster, 1557-1568. AV Zecchino (22mm, 3.45 g, 7h). Fort St. Angelo (Birgu) mint.

CNG Feature Auction 115
Lot: 913. Estimated: $ 1 000

World, Gold

Sold For $ 2 250. This amount does not include the buyer’s fee.

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MALTA, Order of Knights of the Hospital of St. John of Jerusalem (Knights of Malta). Jean Parisot de Valette. Grandmaster, 1557-1568. AV Zecchino (22mm, 3.45 g, 7h). Fort St. Angelo (Birgu) mint. St. Mark standing right and Grandmaster kneeling left, holding banner between them / Christ standing facing within mandorla containing nine stars. Gatt 06-1Z-01X04; Restelli & Sammut 4; Schembri 3; Friedberg 5. Areas of weak strike. Good VF.

From the El Medina Collection.

Jean Parisot de Valette, after whom the capital of the Knights of Malta was named, served the Order both on Rhodes, when he was a young man, and was the 6th Grandmaster of the Knights of Malta. He was a man of considerable military skill and daring. From his appointment in 1537 as Governor of Tripoli to his time as a galley slave to the Barbary pirates, Valette demonstrated his abilities and, in 1557, was appointed Captain General of the Order’s galleys, a prestigious post. In this office, he earned a reputation as one of the great Christian commanders of the age. Described as a “very handsome man, speaking several languages fluently including Italian, Spanish, Greek, Arabic and Turkish,” Vallette’s reign was spent in almost continuous warfare with the Ottomans. During the Great Siege of Malta (1565), he ordered the defense of the city, holding out successfully against the Ottomans (including the Janissaries) until relief arrived. This victory increased the renown of the Order in Europe (thereby gaining new recruits), but Vallette refused to accept a cardinalship from the Pope, preferring to retain the Order’s sovereignty. The following year, Vallette began the construction of his new capital on the site of the former Fort St. Elmo. He died, however, before the work was completed.

The final winners of all CNG Feature Auction 115 lots will be determined during the live online sale that will be held on 16-17 September 2020. This lot is in Session 3, which begins 17 September 2020 at 9 AM ET.

Winning bids are subject to a 20% buyer's fee for bids placed on this website and 22.50% for all others.

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