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2 Scudi - Manuel Pinto de Fonseca
| Issuer | Order of Malta (Knights of St. John) |
|---|---|
| Year | 1741 |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | 2 Scudi |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| Diameter | Log in to see details |
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| Obverse description | Log in to see details |
|---|---|
| Obverse script | Log in to see details |
| Obverse lettering | F . EMMAN VEL PINTO |
| Reverse description | Crowned quartered shield of the Order of Malta at center, bearing the cross of the Knights of St. John impaled with the personal arms of Grand Master Pinto de Fonseca, flanked by elaborate baroque scrollwork and acanthus leaf supporters. The sovereign's crown surmounts the shield, with the date 1741 split to either side. The circular Latin legend, abbreviating the titles of the Grand Master, is distributed around the periphery of the field. |
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| Additional information |
Manuel Pinto de Fonseca served as Grand Master of the Order from 1741 until his death in 1773 — the longest reign of any 18th-century Grand Master — and wasted little time establishing an ambitious coinage program after his election. The 2 Scudi was among the first issues struck under his authority, produced at the Valletta mint which the Order had maintained as a sovereign operation independent of any European crown.
The Order's finances by mid-century depended heavily on income from its estates across Catholic Europe, the so-called *langue* system, making its coinage as much a political instrument of sovereign credibility as a circulating medium.