I'm looking for more information about this coin. The writing on the paper inside the flip is in Italian. From what I can tell it's from Venice between 1763-78 and is gold. Verbatim it says "Venezia Alv. IV Mocenigo Doge CXVIII 1763-78. Zecchino oro Peso gr. 3,49 Gamb.1702 Originale." I know the doge was the ruler so I'm guessing the part before that is his name. I haven't googled him yet but I wanted to ask about the coin first. Unfortunately there's a spot that looks to me like maybe it was attached to a necklace or something.
Neat looking coin! Can't help you with any more info on the coin, but Alvise Giovanni Mocenigo was doge from 1763-78. He was the third-to-last doge of the Republic of Venice (dissolved in 1797 through the Treaty of Campo Formio, which divided Venetian territory between the Austrians and a French puppet state).
Beautiful Zecchino (Ducat), though, yes yours looks to be ex-jewelry, still great history. The obverse features St. Mark & the Doge of Venice while the reverse features Jesus surrounded by stars (the number of stars varies with the years). Edit~ Here is some copy & paste info for you: "The zecchino was a gold coin of Venice.The Italian word zecca refers to mint. The name was the unofficial term for the Ducato of Venice. The name became official about 1550.In English such a coin is called a sequin. It is a gold coin weighed at 3.5 grams of .986 pure gold. The coin was originally called a Ducat from the ruling Doge of Venice who was prominently depicted on it. The name zecchino came from the name of the Venetian mint, the “zecca”, since 1543, when Venice began minting a silver coin also called a ducat. In French the Venetian word became “sequin” and it has entered the English language in that form. Following the Venetian model, coins of this sort were used for centuries throughout the Mediterranean, especially near the Persian Gulf. The Venetian gold zecchino first appeared in 1284. The Byzantine Empire imitated it with its basilikon soon thereafter. In 1478, the Ottoman Empire introduced a monetary unit called the sequin. In 1535, Malta also did so. Both Ottoman and the Maltese coins were gold. In the cultures where these sequins circulated, the custom of stitching sequins and similar coins to women’s clothing, particularly headdresses, face veils, and over the bosom and hips, originally became a way to display (and store) family’s wealth. It was this ancient custom that led to the use of sequined fabric and trims in modern fashion, thus expanding the definition of sequin beyond coins to include this type of decoration."
Thanks for the info. Do you have any idea of the value of this? Is it still collectible with the damage from being on a necklace? How typical is the condition for a coin like this? I usually deal in much newer coins.
Here's one I bid on (and lost) last week. I think yours is probably in the $300 range.....like medoraman said, it's pretty common for these to be used as (religious) jewelry. Awesome pieces too, I dig 'em http://www.ebay.com/itm/1543-53-NGC...BBjL3KPokWw9BEsjWHcNM%3D&orig_cvip=true&rt=nc
