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1 Zecchino - Philipe Villiers de L'Isle Adam
| Issuer | Order of Malta (Knights Hospitaller) |
|---|---|
| Year | 1530 |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
| Weight | 3.46 g |
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| Obverse description | St. John the Baptist stands facing right, robed in a long garment, extending the banner of the Order toward Grand Master Philippe Villiers de L'Isle Adam, who kneels in supplication to the left. The composition reflects the devotional iconographic tradition of the Knights Hospitaller, with the standing saint rendered in a hieratic, stylized manner characteristic of hammered gold coinage of the period. The surrounding field carries a Latin legend identifying the Grand Master and his allegiance to St. John. The inscription is rendered in Gothic lettering interspersed with ornamental stops. |
|---|---|
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| Obverse lettering | • F • PHS • D • LISLADA • S • IOANNI (Translation: Fra` Philippe de L`Isle Adam St John) |
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| Additional information |
Philippe Villiers de L'Isle-Adam was Grand Master during one of the Order's most catastrophic moments: the fall of Rhodes in 1522, after which the Knights spent eight years without a permanent home, wandering as a displaced military order under nominal papal protection. Holy Roman Emperor Charles V resolved the situation in 1530 by granting them Malta and Tripoli as fiefs. This zecchino was struck almost certainly within that same year of resettlement, making it among the earliest coins produced under Maltese sovereignty of the Order.
The zecchino format was borrowed directly from Venetian ducal coinage — a deliberate signal of financial credibility to Mediterranean trading partners.