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4 Zecchini - Antonio Manoel de Vilhena
| Issuer | Sovereign Military Order of Malta |
|---|---|
| Year | 1722-1724 |
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| Composition | Gold (.986) |
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|---|---|
| Obverse script | Latin |
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| Reverse description | Elaborately ornate baroque shield of the Order of Malta surmounted by a Grand Master's crown adorned with floral finials, supported by acanthus and scroll mantling. The quartered shield displays the cross of the Order of St. John combined with lions and other armorial charges associated with the Grand Master's personal arms. The date 1723 appears within the legend, which reads M · M · HOSP : ET S · S · HIER V : 1723, disposed around the shield within a beaded border. |
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| Additional information |
Antonio Manoel de Vilhena, a Portuguese nobleman elected Grand Master in 1722, used his personal fortune aggressively to modernize Malta's fortifications — the town of Floriana and Fort Manoel both bear his name and were funded largely through his own resources. The 4 Zecchini denomination served the Order's substantial international financial obligations at a moment when the Knights were still operating as a serious naval power in the Mediterranean, running corso warfare against Ottoman shipping under papal license.
At .986 fine, these are among the purest gold coinages struck by any European issuing authority of the period.