As you can see I purchased this from John Anthony, some time last year to be more exact. It was originally in the Sallent Collection. I wish to thank John for his time in doing what he does and for Sallent parting with this piece. I'm sure that was a difficult decision as I do cherish this ancient coin of Christ. Since all of the references are on the card below I'll not relist them.
In a sea of poorly-crafted medieval coins, those grossos really stand out as something exceptional. And they won't break the bank either!
Collecting Nut, That's a stunning coin of fine style with beautiful toning ! I got a handsome follis back from NGC yesterday that also uses the "Christ Pantokartor" theme, see photo below.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Doges_of_Venice These were issued by many Doges of Venice (list above) whose names appear at the left of the portrait standing next to St. Mark. Mine is Ranieri Zeno - 1253-1268 AD. RA . CENO . /DVX/ S.M. VENETI Mine is common (I have seen others) but it would seem obvious that there were some with short reigns that would be more scarce. I have never seen the reference on these. While I don't usually buy many medieval/modern coins, I always liked this type. Yes, that has a lot to do with my liking them.
One of the original issues of the Venetian Grosso was recently up for auction at CNG - I was shocked by how low the estimated value was, but it sold for about what I would expect. Here is my humble example from Enrico’s successor: Italy - Venice Pietro Zani, r. 1205-1229 AR Grosso, 19.79 mm, 1.9 grams Obv.: [·+·]P·ZIANI· ·S·M.VENETI outside (Z retrograde), D/U/X down banner held between doge and St. Mark facing Rev.: [I¯C] X¯C across field, Christ enthroned facing
You have no idea how many times I have been offered these Venetian Grosso coins as Byzantine silver pieces. Yes, they share a similarity but considering the difference in prices and value I have wondered if the mistake was innocent.
Now that you have a lot of time on your hands, you might want to read: Zecca: The Mint of Venice in the Middle Ages (Published in Association With the American Numismatic Society) "A significant contribution to the literature on the economic and monetary history of medieval Venice and of the Italian Middle Ages...a welcome addition to most university libraries. It is extremely well written...essential reading for scholars of medieval economic and monetary history, and it will also find an audience among numismatists and collectors of medieval coins." Speculum (April 2003)