-40%

Piastre of Cosimo III Firenze 1684

$ 396

Availability: 100 in stock
  • Restocking Fee: No
  • Certification: Uncertified
  • Refund will be given as: Money Back
  • Return shipping will be paid by: Buyer
  • Composition: Silver
  • Item must be returned within: 14 Days
  • All returns accepted: Returns Accepted
  • Year: 1684

    Description

    Coat of arms of the Grand Duke of Tuscany
    The "augmented coat of arms of the Medici,
    Or, five balls in orle gules,was designed with
    a larger ball incorporating of
    the arms of France
    -
    three golden
    lilies
    which right was granted by
    Louis XI
    in 1465 in return for the assistance provided
    by Florence during the dangerous rebellion of the French nobility
    a
    s a consequence of this grand concession by the
    powerful sovereign the ball atop the Medici shield became blue with the fleur-de-lis inscribed in it.
    The
    ancient Romans
    used similar insignias on their shields, but these identified military units rather than individuals and
    during the first crusade such was
    used to distinguish rang and protocol of the various troops.
    By the 13th Century Coat of Arms had spread beyond their initial battlefield use to become a kind of flag or logo for
    families in the higher social classes of
    Europe, inherited from one generation to the next. Exactly who had a right to use
    arms, by law or social convention, varied to some degree between countries
    but basically it was a right only granted to
    the aristocracy
    A
    coat of arms
    is a unique
    heraldic
    design on an
    escutcheon
    (i.e.
    shield
    ),
    surcoat
    , or
    tabard
    . A surcoat, and subsequently
    a
    coat of arms
    was used by medieval
    knights
    to cover, protect, and identify the wearer. Thus these are sometimes termed
    coat armory
    Coinage of Florence and Tuscany
    From A. D. 1189 to 1532 the coinage of Florence was autonmous. This coinage consisted of only the denaro until in the
    thirteenth century, when the larger silver
    grosso was added; and at about the same time (1252), Florence revived the
    coinage of
    gold, a metal which had not been coined in western Europe since the latter
    part of the eighth century, and
    struck the florin or fiorino d'oro. The financial and
    commercial importance of Florence in Europe secured general
    acceptance of the
    new gold
    coin; it was imitated at about 80 mints. The system of the florin, grosso,
    and denaro, was
    continued by the Medici as hereditary Gonfalonieri of the city.
    The first duke of Tuscany, which included Florence, Alessandro de' Medici, intro
    duced a silver coin still larger than
    the grosso, called a testone, because it bore a
    por
    trait of the duke. This coin is said to have been engraved by Benvenuto
    Cellini
    (No. 99). The silver scudo (dollar size) was introduced in the reign of Cosimo I.
    de' Medici, becoming known as
    the francescone in reign of Francis II (1737-1765).
    Tallero
    Tallero, is the Italian thaler. It first appeared at Florence in 1570 under Cosmo I. De' Medici. Some of the earlier pieces and
    their divisions have interesting portraits and
    reverses.
    Coins were minted with the name of several pre-unitary states. Tra questi i
    duchi di Savoia
    , la
    repubblica di Ragusa
    e il
    granducato di Toscana
    . Among these are the
    dukes of Savoy
    , the
    Republic of Ragusa
    and the
    Grand Duchy of Tuscany
    .
    Tolerate
    Tolerate
    (tallero, tollore, tolloro, Thaler) is the name commonly used in
    Tuscany
    to indicate the
    shield
    coined by Grand
    Duke
    Ferdinand I
    and his successors to use in trade
    with the
    East
    .
    The Medici family traded wool, silk and other luxury items from Asia; monopolized the alum trade (a fixative for dye);
    precious metals needed to pay
    spices
    ,
    porcelain
    and
    silk
    and other exotic goods from '
    India
    ,
    Indonesia
    and other regions
    of the '
    Far East
    .
    The first Duke of Florence, Alessandro de' Medici (1533-36), used his portrait on the obverse and with John the Baptist
    on the reverse of the coinage he had struck.
    Ferdinand I struck copious coins and between 1587 and 1606 the Grand Duke appears to have had at least four coinages,
    of which there are many sub-varieties. The first and
    second (1587) exhibit him in his cardinal's dress and hat ; the third
    (1596) omits the title in legend and alters the costume. The last (1601 -6) presents a crowned bust in armour
    to right,
    and Ferdinandvs " Med " Mag " Etr " Dvx " III "
    Pisa seems to have been the usual mint; with Pisa forming part of the reverses’ legend.
    The reverse shows a shield,
    resting on a floriated cross which often served as substitute
    for John the Baptist .
    Florence M
    int
    .
    It is said that although these Tallero coins suggest that they were minted in Pisa by incorporates Pisa in its legend that
    in fact that they
    were struck at the Florence mint.
    Regardless it would seem that all the mints in Tusany worked on
    commissions and minted or produced coins for citizens
    from gold or silver brought to it usually in the form of rods,
    ingots or foreign coins.
    The mint acted as a monopoly as regards issues and a monopsony in regards to the withdrawal from circulation of foreign
    coins. It was run for profit with the Duke who was deemed as the mint master receiving between two- thirds and three
    quarters of the profit with the balance going to the manager.
    This profit was determined by crediting those that brought metal to the mint with a sum inferior to what the mint itself
    made from the metal it received.
    However because the mints had the duel positions of a monopoly as well as a monopsony
    it bought the foreign coins that
    people were forced to relinquish because they had been declared prohibited to use at greatly
    reduced prices and then rather
    than melting them down to recoin again – sold them to merchants on the stipulation that they
    used them outside the State
    of Tuscany.
    This practice was not only unorthodox but boarded on being illicit however the grant dukes at the time because they profited
    turned a blind eye.
    Pisa mint.
    The old Pisa Mint was located inside the city wall,
    near the
    San Zeno
    Gate
    The
    Province of Pisa
    is located in central-western Tuscany,
    covering a stretch of coastline, wide plains and rolling hills that include the
    Colline Metallifere
    to the South.
    Pisa first belonged to the Longobard kingdom and later to the Carolingian empire. Already an important naval base in the
    Roman era, from the 11th century Pisa intensified
    its Mediterranean trade, with numerous victories of its fleet over Muslim
    cities and ships.
    The Mediaeval Era coincided with the height of its economic, political and artistic growth, to which the urban planning of
    the old centre bears witness by its many religious and
    civic buildings, its squares, its typical narrow alleys that run
    perpendicular to the River Arno, the great trade route that for centuries represented the economic heart of the city.
    The city walls, whose construction began around 1154-1155, were completed in the mid-14th century and today represent
    an important part of the architectural heritage.
    In 1406 Pisa was conquered for the first time by Florence, thus beginning a long period of profound crisis that ended only
    with the political ascent of the Medici nobles. From the
    second half of the 16th century there was a recovery characterized
    by the development of the University, founded on the
    orders of Lorenzo II Magnifico at the end of the 15th
    century.
    Cosimo I de' Medici and his successors renovated the aspect of the squares and churches, rendering Pisa the second capital
    of Tuscany, until its annexation to the Kingdom of Italy
    in 1861.
    Terms of sale
    Payment Policy
    Only PayPal is Accepted.
    Payment is expected within 48 hours. If you're bidding on other items, please let me know prior to issuing invoice so I can
    try and ship together and pass on savings to you.
    Shipping Policy
    Best endeavour will be used to ship items on the next business day of receiving full payment.
    Unless otherwise specified, I ship all coins in protective sleeves and enclose in bubble wrapped envelopes to protect.
    I absorb the material and handling costs in my shipping rates.
    I ship worldwide. Postage costs are flat.
    I generate shipping labels from PayPal. Please make sure the information is correct with all details required to ensure speedy
    arrival.
    I ship from Australia and receipt will depend on a range of circumstances pertaining to the method chosen to ship.
    International Shipping
    Any Import duties, taxes and charges are the buyer's responsibility.
    If unsure please check with your country's customs office to see if there are any additional costs prior to bidding/buying.
    If there are any charges they will be normally collected by the delivering freight (shipping) company or when you pick the
    item up. Please do not confuse them for my shipping charges.
    Although it is an extra cost we recommend insurance on items that are over 0 and on any deemed non replaceable..
    Returns Policy
    We endeavour to provide accurate descriptions and details of the items for sale and any opinion of quality is just that- our
    opinion and we give no warranties either expressed or implied as to our opinion especially respecting grades. This is
    because grading can vary depending on many factors such as tone colour strike blemishes and overall combination of all
    the before mentioned even between professional graders so please make your own examination from the photos so as to
    make your own assessment.
    If for whatever reason you are not completely happy with your purchase, please email me with your concerns within 7 days
    and if they cannot be resolved, then so long as you return it to me in the same condition as it was sent I will give you a refund
    of the sale cost of the item.
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