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| Issuer | Order of Saint John (Knights of Malta) |
|---|---|
| Year | 1566 |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| Technique | Hammered |
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| Obverse description | Two clasped hands (dextrarum iunctio) depicted in the center of the field, symbolizing faith and alliance, enclosed within a beaded (grènetis) inner circle. The grand master's name and mark appear above the hands, with the denomination indicated below. The surrounding circular legend, divided by a cross pattée, reads NON AES SED FIDES with the date 1566 and the name VALLETE M XX, referencing Grand Master Jean de Vallette. |
|---|---|
| Obverse script | Log in to see details |
| Obverse lettering | ☩ NON AES SED FIDES · 1566 · VALLETE M XX (Translation: Not money, but trust) |
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| Additional information |
Jean de Vallette served as Grand Master from 1557 until his death in 1568, and his tenure was defined almost entirely by the Great Siege of 1565, in which Ottoman forces under Suleiman the Magnificent besieged Malta for four months before withdrawing. The copper tari issued under his name the following year was struck in a Order still rebuilding its finances and fortifications — construction of Valletta, the new capital bearing his name, had begun just months prior.
Copper issues of the Order from this period circulated primarily among the local Maltese population rather than within the hospitaller hierarchy itself, which transacted in silver and gold.