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<p>[QUOTE=&quot;AncientJoe, post: 5125495, member: 44357&quot;]There have been many, many coin collectors over the centuries but few have documented collections as early as Apostolo Zeno.</p><p><br /></p><p>Apostolo Zeno (1668-1750) was Venetian nobleman who was a famous poet and librettist (he wrote the texts for 36 operas, including Vivaldi and Scarlatti). He served as poet laureate to Holy Roman Emperor Karl VI in Vienna in 1718 which afforded him the ability to collect coins upon retiring, starting at the age of 54 in 1722. He continued this passion for collecting in the following 25 years and mostly acquired his pieces in Rome or Venice, taking particular care to distinguish genuine coins from forgeries, which were already abundant at that time.</p><p><br /></p><p>His collection (which rivaled that of the emperor himself), was bought by the Abbey of St. Florian in Austria in 1747 resting in the mountain top monastery until they were sold beginning in 1955. All the coins were acquired primarily during the second quarter of the 18th century, though many of them may well have been found in the 17th century or earlier.</p><p><br /></p><p>I&#039;m very grateful to the watchful eye of my dealer who pointed this coin out to me. I was distracted by other sales and frankly missed the pedigree, one of the &quot;key&quot; pedigrees I&#039;ve been seeking.</p><p><br /></p><p>I would have been happy with any Apostolo Zeno coin but am thrilled to have a coin of a type that&#039;s been on my wantlist for a long time.</p><p><br /></p><p>[ATTACH=full]1202705[/ATTACH]</p><p><br /></p><p><i>Ex. P. &amp; P. Santamaria auction, Rome February 24, 1958, No. 1059 and the collection of the Venetian poet Apostolo Zeno, Dorotheum auction, Vienna June 13, 1955, No. 378</i></p><p><br /></p><p>Post your favorite or oldest pedigrees![/QUOTE]</p><p><br /></p>

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