The January New York International Numismatic Convention and the auction
held by Stack’s Bowers Galleries will usher in 2018 for numismatists from
around the world. Coin dealers and collectors based in the United States and
across the globe will be in attendance at the Grand Hyatt Hotel in Midtown
Manhattan for a week’s worth of lectures, auctions and show room activities. In
anticipation of this event, we will begin previewing select highlight coins from
the auction on our blog and through our email newsletter. The first highlight
coin starts things off with a bang. The coinage of the Doges of Venice is
easily identifiable to most numismatists, regardless of experience. For nearly
five centuries the design remained relatively unchanged: the Doge at left holds
a long cross and kneels before Saint Mark (at right), who holds the Gospel and
raises his free hand in benediction. The reverse design presents a nimbate
Christ standing, holding globus cruciger and raising other hand in benediction,
amidst stars. The only change to the design over the centuries would be the new
Doge’s name, which appeared in the obverse legend. The series takes a turn for
the spectacular when the larger multiple denominations are considered. The
piece featured here is a remarkable 40 Zecchini, with only four denominations
that are larger. It seems certain that all of these over-sized gold coins were
intended as presentation pieces for dignitaries of the highest rank. A
reference work for the coinage of the Doges of Venice (by Raffaele Paolucci)
has a rarity scale, with this issue achieving the highest rank: “known from two
or three specimens only, or unique.” Without a doubt, this is an exceedingly
rare piece. It weighs in at 139.23 grams and was struck during the reign of the
penultimate Doge, Paolo Renier (1779-1789). His successor would be overthrown
by the ambitions of Napoleon, bringing an end to the Venetian Republic. Owning
a massive piece of history like this has eluded many collectors, confirming the
importance of this opportunity.
We are currently taking consignments of world and ancient coins as well as
world paper money for our January 2018 New York International Auction. We are
also accepting consignments of Chinese and other Asian coins and currency for
our April 2018 Hong Kong Showcase Auction. Time is running short, so if you are
interested in consigning your coins and paper currency (whether a whole
collection or a single rarity) be sure to contact one of our consignment
directors.
