Catalog
Tari - Jean de Vallette
| Issuer | Order of Saint John (Knights of Malta) |
|---|---|
| Year | 1566 |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | Log in to see details |
| Currency | Scudo (1530-1825) |
| Composition | Log in to see details |
| Weight | Log in to see details |
| Diameter | Log in to see details |
| Thickness | Log in to see details |
| Shape | Log in to see details |
| Technique | Log in to see details |
| Orientation | Log in to see details |
| Engraver(s) | Log in to see details |
| In circulation to | Log in to see details |
| Reference(s) | Log in to see details |
| Obverse description | Central device depicting two clasped hands (a dextrarum iunctio), symbolizing faith and alliance, within a beaded or lined inner circle. The Grand Master's name and mark appear above the hands, with the denomination mark below. The surrounding legend and date are rendered in Latin capitals, with a cross pattée as an initial mark. |
|---|---|
| Obverse script | Log in to see details |
| Obverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Reverse description | Log in to see details |
| Reverse script | Log in to see details |
| Reverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Edge | Log in to see details |
| Mint | Log in to see details |
| Mintage | 1566 |
| Additional information |
Jean de Vallette became Grand Master in 1557 and within eight years had survived the Great Siege of 1565, during which an Ottoman force estimated at 40,000 men failed to dislodge roughly 700 Knights and several thousand Maltese soldiers. This copper tari was struck the following year, as de Vallette redirected the Order's resources toward founding the new fortified city that would bear his name. The Knights operated their own mint at Birgu — later Vittoriosa — issuing coinage with near-sovereign authority under papal sanction.
Schembri recorded only a handful of die variants for this type; Restelli's numbering places this among the earlier emissions of the post-Siege administrative reorganization.