Venice. Giovanni Corner II gold 15 Zecchini ND (1709-1722) XF45 NGC, KM486, Fr-1367, Paolucci-118.7 (R5), Bellesia-238 (R5). 49mm. 51.60gm. Collectors of the Italian series, and particularly the Venetian series, will be intimately familiar with the nearly universally recognized imagery of the doge of Venice kneeling with staff in hand before the figure of St. Mark, the patron saint of the Italian city-state. This image is widely seen in the longstanding series of ducats and zecchini issued by the city, one that spans centuries and presents a wide range of styles, qualities of production, and historical contexts. While taken as a whole these issues remain relatively attainable to collectors, the significantly more limited issuances of larger multiple zecchini under various doges present an entirely different challenge, made available only to the few. This offering, a 15 Zecchini issued during the reign of Giovanni Corner, represents one such surviving specimen, and though moderately circulated retains an admirable degree of detail, such that even the facial expressions of St. Mark, Corner, and Christ remain discernible, framed by bold legends and surrounded by golden fields expressing an admirable degree of luster. At a considerable weight of over 51 grams, the selection offers what is essentially a medallic grandeur, appropriately matched only by its rarity, and there is no doubt that it will come to serve as one of the greater Italian highlights of any collection that it enters.

HID09801242017

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