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<p>[QUOTE=&quot;Parthicus, post: 2684773, member: 81887&quot;]I don&#039;t usually buy medieval European coins, but this one appealed to me too much to ignore.</p><p>[ATTACH=full]600875[/ATTACH] </p><p>Venetian Republic.&nbsp; AR grosso.&nbsp; Doge Giovanni Dandolo (1280-1289).&nbsp; Obverse: Christ enthroned, holding Gospel, IC XC to sides.&nbsp; Reverse: IO DANDVL S M VENETI around, DVX in middle; Doge to left and Saint Mark to right, each holding staff of pennant.</p><p><br /></p><p>The city of Venice is world famous for its picturesque canals, which form the main thoroughfares of the city that is built on over a hundred tiny islands in the middle of a lagoon.&nbsp; During the Middle Ages and Renaissance, Venice was a major power dominating trade in the Mediterranean and using its large navy to project its military force.&nbsp; The city was organized as a republic, in which the wealthy aristocrats elected one of their own, usually an elderly man of recognized wisdom, to serve as the chief magistrate or Doge.&nbsp; (&quot;Doge&quot; derives from the Latin Dux, &quot;military leader&quot;, which is the source of our title Duke and the modern Italian Duce, a title famously used by Mussolini.)&nbsp; The system of Doges lasted over a thousand years until 1797, when the city came under Napoleon&#039;s rule.&nbsp; </p><p><br /></p><p>Part of the reason I bought this coin was due to a mistake.&nbsp; When I saw that the doge was Giovanni Dandolo, I had him confused with Enrico Dandolo.&nbsp; Enrico is famous for leading the Venetian contingent in the Fourth Crusade&#039;s sack of Constantinople in 1204, despite his being ninety years old at the time and completely blind.&nbsp; Giovanni, unfortunately, did not have so colorful a history, but his main accomplishment was numismatic.&nbsp; He was the first doge to strike Venetian gold ducats, or zecchini, which continued to be a major trade currency throughout Europe and the Middle East until the series was ended by Napoleon in 1797.&nbsp; The silver gross, though not as impressive as its gold cousin, is nonetheless an attractive coin, full of history and romance, and not very expensive.&nbsp; This piece was from Stephen Album and cost $27.</p><p><br /></p><p>Please post your Venetian coins, or anything else related.[/QUOTE]</p><p><br /></p>

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