Here come the crusader knights at Cambi’s!

Cambi Auction House and Crippa Numismatica are pleased to announce a new and unmissable Numismatic sale. Following the growing success of previous auctions, this sale represents an exciting opportunity for collectors and numismatic enthusiasts, offering a comprehensive offering of coins and medals from all periods, collected with care and dedication over years of research and passion by various collectors.

Once again the proposed catalog is extremely rich and varied, with more than 1,400 lots and about 6,000 coins in the auction. Each sector represents a window into past history capable of fascinating scholars and collectors from all over the world. Among the most eagerly awaited goodies of this edition is an interesting collection of imitations of the Venetian duchy, minted in both the West and the East and bearing witness to the fervent competition, from the 14th to the 18th century, in trade to the Levant between Venice, Genoa and the Ottomans. This particular numismatic topic, which has attracted the interest of leading international scholars, is a constantly evolving field of study and continues to offer new and interesting research perspectives.

Another highlight is the fascinating selection of materials related to the Crusader Knights, the Order of the Hospitallers of Malta and Rhodes, which adds a touch of mystery and adventure to this rich offering.

This numismatic event, in addition to being an opportunity to purchase pieces of considerable interest, is presented as a journey through different historical eras, from the coins of ancient Greece and the Roman and Byzantine Empire (the sale of which is reserved for Italian collectors) to the most modern Italian and international issues.

The auction will be held in five rounds spread over three days, starting on November 6, 2024. The first day will feature Greek and Roman Republic coins, followed by coins from the Roman and Byzantine Empires. The second day, dedicated to Nov. 7, will focus on a collection of coins and medals from the cities of Lombardy, featuring the Milan mint with many gold and silver specimens, and other Italian coinage, including a comprehensive collection from the House of Savoy. Finally, on Nov. 8, the fourth and fifth rounds will close the auction with pontifical mints, imitations of the Venetian ducat, and a collection of American and foreign coins predominantly in gold.

We interviewed Numismatics expert Paolo Crippa, Director of Cambi Auction House’s Department. Six months have passed since the last auction and here we are again, with a new sale, lots of coins and several new topics.

“Yes, with pleasure I can tell you that also this eighth auction in collaboration between Cambi and Crippa Numismatics will still offer lots of coins and medals from a variety of topics and eras.

First of all, this auction will again feature a wide selection of ancient coins – Greek, Roman and Byzantine – with a sale reserved for the Italian market. Prominent among them is the Emilio Carrera collection, a fine collector active in the 1960s and 1970s and one of Crippa Numismatics’s earliest clients since its founding in 1962. In examining the collections we are privileged to offer, we appreciate the taste and historical approach of their creators. The Carrera collection, with its splendid portraits of emperors and its richly significant reverses, demonstrates the historical expertise and elegance of this collector.

There is also no shortage, among the lots of other contributors, of coins of high value, prized for their quality and charm.

Alongside the antique section, we present a fine collection of coins from Lombard mints, including those from the Milan mint with remarkable Renaissance portraits in gold and silver, a rich selection of coins from other Italian mints, and a wide variety of coins from the House of Savoy and the Kingdom of Italy, also in gold and silver.

However, I must say that the section that fascinated me the most is a collection of imitation coins of the Venetian zecchino, assembled over 30 years by a collector and scholar from Lombardy through both domestic and international purchases.”

But what is meant by imitation coins ?

“Since ancient Greece, any strong and widely demanded coinage along trade routes was often imitated by other competing cities or mints. For example, the Punic imitated coins from the mint of Syracuse, while the Celts reproduced Greek and Macedonian coins, such as those of Alexander the Great and his father Philip II. Again in this auction we present some fascinating examples of these imitations.

From 1300 onward, the Venetian zecchino, then called the ducat, became predominant in trade with the East, supplanting the Byzantine histamenon, now devalued because of the low purity of the gold. Venice, also enriched by the Crusades and the conquest of Constantinople in 1200, had expanded its commercial influence by owning strategic territories such as the Peloponnese, the west coast of Greece and Crete.

In a short time, the Venetian zecchino became the preferred currency for trade with the East, where raw materials and semi-finished products, such as cloth and spices, were mainly purchased, then destined for the great artisans of northern and central Italy. During the same period, Genoa, Venice’s main rival in eastern trade, exploited its alliances with the Byzantines against Venice, obtaining concessions on strategic territories and ports in the Black Sea and several Aegean islands. Complicating matters was the expansion of the Ottoman Empire, which would conquer Constantinople in the 15th century, marking the end of the Eastern Roman Empire. Between the 14th and 18th centuries, therefore, mints and their imitations circulated throughout this region.

The main stylistic and qualitative difference was that the Venetian zecchino was coined in large quantities directly in the Serenissima, with master craftsmen of the highest level who ensured excellent and consistent quality in weights and titles. In contrast, Genoa and other eastern potentates had their imitations coined in the colonies, often with improvised mints and engravers, who were not always able or willing to maintain high metal quality. Venice could not stop the production of these imitations altogether, tolerating it to some extent, since they actually helped to maintain the exclusivity and prestige of its own coinage.”

Among the producers of imitations were also the Crusader Orders.

“Yes, with the Crusades, several knightly orders, such as the Knights Hospitaller, had become wealthy and powerful. Founded in Jerusalem in the first half of the year 1000, the Order gained importance as early as the First Crusade. Later moving to Cyprus, Rhodes and Malta after the Muslim conquest of the Holy Land, the Order continued to play a significant role in the political-economic and military balances of the West. The Knights also contributed to the production and dissemination of imitations of the mint, recognizable because they bore the names of the various Grand Masters in the legend.

In this fine collection we find both rare gold coins minted by the Grand Masters from the early 1400s through the 1700s and fascinating silver examples from the 14th century with the iconography of knights at prayer, an evocative image that often evokes scenes seen in films.

We then worked carefully to organize this collection into an auction catalog, following a chronological and geographical order, starting with Western coinage and ending with Eastern coinage. We drew on classical studies such as those of Gamberini and Lunardi, and more recent research by Gorini, Ives/Grierson, and Mazarakis, with the intention of offering an introductory classification that could inspire further study and research among international enthusiasts and scholars.

We have also tried to represent the essence of this auction on the cover of the catalog, with a 19th-century print depicting medieval merchants ready to set sail to the East, surrounded by some of the most significant coins. In addition, this catalog retains the recent innovation of QR codes, which allow collectors to view multiple lots of coins on their device. In addition, for the most important specimens, QR codes provide access to detailed videos, giving readers a more immersive viewing experience.”

Discover the auction catalog by clicking here: