MALTA, Sovereign Military Order of Malta. Jean de Valette. Grandmaster, 1557-1568. Æ 4 Tarì (35mm, 12.38 g, 9h). Fort St. Angelo (Birgu) mint. Dated 1567.

Electronic Auction 479
Lot: 491. Estimated: $ 100

World, Bronze

Sold For $ 650. This amount does not include the buyer’s fee.

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MALTA, Sovereign Military Order of Malta. Jean de Valette. Grandmaster, 1557-1568. Æ 4 Tarì (35mm, 12.38 g, 9h). Fort St. Angelo (Birgu) mint. Dated 1567. Maltese cross / Clasped hands. Countermarks: Crowned double-headed eagle in shield (Uncertain date); head of St. John the Baptist in oval (Edict of 19 April 1662); crowned six pointed star (Edict of 13 December 1740); crowned crescent (Edict of 31 January 1741); MA monogram (Edict of 30 May 1766); crowned diamond (Edict of 10 January 1778). Cf. Gatt 06-4T-350X350; cf. Restelli & Sammut 104; cf. Schembri 1. For countermarks: Gatt p. xix. Brown patina. Fair. Countermarks better.

From the El Medina Collection.

During the late 17th and 18th centuries, the Knights of Malta faced a serious problem with counterfeiting of their copper coinage. The administration attempted to alleviate this issue by continually re-validating the coins most counterfeited - the two and four tari pieces - by applying countermarks.

Closing Date and Time: 21 October 2020 at 12:43:20 ET.

All winning bids are subject to an 18% buyer’s fee.