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30 Tari Siege Ingot
| Issuer | Malta |
|---|---|
| Year | 1800 |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | Log in to see details |
| Currency | Scudo (1530-1825) |
| Composition | 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 | T 30 R F 1800 |
| Reverse description | Reverse is otherwise blank and shows the plain silver surface of the hand-cut planchet, bearing numerous file and tool marks consistent with its emergency manufacture. A small incuse Phrygian cap counterstamp is applied in the left portion of the field, serving as an authentication mark of the French Republican administration during the siege of Malta. The pierced hole is visible at the right edge. The surface exhibits the characteristic roughness of a hastily prepared siege piece. |
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| Additional information |
Struck during the French blockade of Valletta, these ingots were produced by the Maltese insurgents and their British allies after cutting off the French garrison under Vaubois from any external supply. With the island's normal coin stock hoarded or depleted, raw silver — including melted church plate and seized French holdings — was assayed and cast into crude uniface pieces to pay troops and sustain commerce in the besieged territory outside the walls.
The siege lasted over two years, from September 1798 to September 1800. These ingots represent some of the last coinage issued before Malta passed to British administration.