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4 Tari - Hugues Loubenx de Verdala Fiduciary
| Issuer | Order of Malta (Knights Hospitaller) |
|---|---|
| Year | 1590 |
| Type | Emergency coin |
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| Obverse description | Quartered shield bearing in the first and fourth quarters the arms of Grand Master Hugues Loubenx de Verdala (a wolf passant), and in the second and third quarters the arms of the Order of St. John (a plain cross). The shield is centrally positioned in the field, surrounded by a beaded inner circle. The peripheral legend, in Latin, runs around the outer rim identifying the Grand Master by name and title. |
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| Edge | Plain |
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| Additional information |
Hugues Loubenx de Verdala was elected Grand Master in 1581 and secured a cardinalate from Sixtus V in 1587 — an unusual distinction that gave him standing in Rome rarely held by his predecessors. This copper 4 Tari is a fiduciary issue, meaning its face value was backed by the Order's authority rather than intrinsic metal content, a practical necessity for an organization running a sovereign state, a hospital, and a naval operation simultaneously on a limestone island with no indigenous coinage tradition.
Gatt's cataloguing of this type remains the primary reference for Hospitaller copper; the low survival rate of circulating fiduciary copper from this period keeps even modest examples scarce.