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5 Grani - Manuel Pinto de Fonseca
| Issuer | Order of Malta (Knights Hospitaller) |
|---|---|
| Year | 1748 |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | 5 Grani (1⁄48) |
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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 |
|---|---|
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| Reverse description | Log in to see details |
| Reverse script | Latin |
| Reverse lettering | NON. AES. SED. FIDES 1748 V |
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| Additional information |
Manuel Pinto de Fonseca served as Grand Master of the Order from 1741 until his death in 1773 — one of the longest reigns in the Order's Maltese period. By the 1740s the Knights' actual military relevance had largely evaporated, but the Order retained full sovereignty over Malta and continued issuing its own coinage as an assertion of that status. The 5 Grani sat at the lowest practical level of the copper currency, intended for everyday market transactions in Valletta and the surrounding towns.
Pinto was notably vain and politically shrewd, securing recognition from European courts through diplomacy rather than arms. His long tenure meant his copper issues were struck across decades, making precise dating within the reign more useful than the reign attribution alone.