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½ Daalder "½ Lion daalder" (De Paule Countermark)
| Issuer | Malta |
|---|---|
| Year | 1623-1636 |
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| Composition | Silver (.750) |
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| Obverse description | Log in to see details |
|---|---|
| Obverse script | Latin |
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| Reverse description | A rampant lion displayed to the left dominates the central field, executed in the bold relief characteristic of Dutch half lion daalder coinage. The countermark of Grand Master Antoine de Paule (1623–1636), depicting a peacock, is applied to the host coin and appears typically between the lion's legs or upon its chest. Evidence of a test cut is also visible on the flan. The date 1615 appears within the reverse legend, indicating the host coin's original minting date. The peripheral Latin legend is struck along the coin's circumference. |
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| Additional information |
The Dutch Leeuwendaalder flooded Mediterranean trade routes throughout the early seventeenth century, valued by merchants precisely because its silver content was reliable and its weight consistent. The Knights of St. John, perpetually short of circulating silver, countermarked foreign coins rather than striking sufficient native coinage — a practical stopgap that formalized what was already happening in local commerce.
The countermark bearing the name of Grand Master Antoine de Paule dates his administration to 1623–1636. Half-denomination pieces saw heavier commercial use than their full counterparts and survivors with clean countermark strikes are genuinely scarce.