Catalog
See full images - free registration
Continue with Google - no registration!
or register with email
Why register? Just to keep bots out of our catalog. Your email stays private - we will never share it or send you anything uninvited. We guarantee you that!
4 Tari - Ramon Despuig
| Issuer | Order of Malta (Knights of St. John) |
|---|---|
| Year | 1737 |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | Log in to see details |
| Currency | Log in to see details |
| Composition | Log in to see details |
| Weight | 4.22 g |
| Diameter | Log in to see details |
| Thickness | Log in to see details |
| Shape | Log in to see details |
| Technique | Log in to see details |
| Orientation | Log in to see details |
| Engraver(s) | Log in to see details |
| In circulation to | Log in to see details |
| Reference(s) | Log in to see details |
| Obverse description | Armored and draped bust of Grand Master Ramon Despuig facing right, wearing a voluminous curled periwig in the Baroque style. The portrait is rendered in moderate relief within an inner circle, with fine detailing on the armor's shoulder plate and drapery. The circumferential Latin legend reads F·D·RAIMVNDVS·DESPVYG·M·M·H·H·, identifying the Grand Master by name and title, separated by pellet stops. The coin's milled border frames the entire composition. |
|---|---|
| Obverse script | Latin |
| Obverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Reverse description | Log in to see details |
| Reverse script | Log in to see details |
| Reverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Edge | Log in to see details |
| Mint | Log in to see details |
| Mintage | Log in to see details |
| Additional information |
Ramon Despuig served as Grand Master for barely four years, dying in office in 1741, which kept his coinage issues limited in both variety and volume. The 4 Tari denomination was the workhorse silver of Hospitaller Malta, used in everyday commerce on the island as well as in the Order's extensive Mediterranean trading and provisioning networks.
The tari itself was a unit inherited from Arab Sicily — the word derives from the Arabic ṭarī — and the Order continued striking it for centuries after taking Malta in 1530, long after the denomination had disappeared elsewhere.