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Florijn or 28 Stuivers - Lascaris Countermark
| Issuer | Order of Saint John (Knights of Malta) |
|---|---|
| Year | 1636-1657 |
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| Currency | Scudo (1530-1825) |
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| Obverse description | Crowned quartered arms within an ornate cartouche set inside a beaded circle, with the date above the crown and the denomination numeral 28 in the lower field. The arms display the heraldic quarters of the city of Kampen. A test cut, characteristic of silver verification practice, may appear anywhere on the coin's surface. The overall style is typical of late Dutch Renaissance municipal coinage. |
|---|---|
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| Reverse description | Crowned double-headed imperial eagle displayed within a beaded circle, with the titles of Holy Roman Emperor Matthias in the surrounding legend. At the center of the eagle's body, the countermark applied by Grandmaster Jean-Paul Lascaris Castellar is visible, itself depicting a double-headed eagle, punched during the period 1636–1657 to validate and revalue the host coin for circulation in Malta. The countermark is typically found in the central field and is struck with a small hand punch. |
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| Additional information |
The Knights of Saint John, operating from Malta after their expulsion from Rhodes in 1522, faced a persistent problem: their territory produced no silver of its own, forcing the Order to rely on countermarking foreign coinage for local circulation. This particular piece — a Dutch florijn or 28-stuiver coin — was overstruck with the Lascaris mark during the magistracy of Jean-Paul Lascaris de Castellar, who held the position of Grand Master from 1636 until his death in 1657. Countermarking foreign silver was not mere convenience; it was a deliberate assertion of monetary authority over imported specie.
Dutch silver of this weight and fineness circulated widely across the Mediterranean in the mid-seventeenth century, making it a logical candidate for revaluation.