Archaios | Medieval Italian States Grano Philip III Messina Sicily | RARE | 31.3

Description

Archaios Numismatics
__________________________________________
Description:
Medieval Copper Grano coin of the Medieval Italian States - Sicily, Messina. Dated 1634.
Minted under reign of Philip III King of Sicily and Naples (as Philip IV of Spain), 1605-1665
Obverse:
Crowned eagle facing Left, with wings spread ; under the wings and outside of the claws are the Mint Master Initials:
I - P
(Giovanni Del Pozzo); Around:
+ PHILIPP..... IIII * D * G *
(Dei Gratia) - ( Philip IIII by the grace of God the King of Sicily)
Reverse:
VT / COMMO / DIVS
within pelleted circle. Dated
1634
in upper left. Legend "Ut Commodius" in latin (or "The Advantages") alludes to the convenience of currency in trade.
Mint:
Messina, Sicily
Size:
18 mm
Weight:
2.72 g
Reference:
Sphar 160, Lamonetta W-F4C/3-19
Inventory:
1907.31.3
Condition:
VF. Rare. As common the coin shape is irregular and much of legend is off flan. These older Grano from late 1500s to early 1600s are seldom seen on the market and often in much lower condition than this piece.
As always, Please Use the Picture as your judge as grading is subjective.
Note:
Philip IV
(Spanish: Felipe ; 8 April 1605 – 17 September 1665) was King of Spain and as Philip III of Sicily (and Portugal). He ascended the thrones in 1621 and reigned in Spain until his death and in Portugal until 1640. Philip is remembered for his patronage of the arts, including such artists as Diego Velázquez, and his rule over Spain during the Thirty Years' War. By the time of his death in 1665, the Spanish Empire had reached approximately 12.2 million square kilometers (4.7 million square miles) in area.
Philip was idealised by his contemporaries as the model of Baroque kingship.
Outwardly he maintained a bearing of rigid solemnity; foreign visitors described him as being so impassive in public he resembled a statue, and he was said to have been seen to laugh only three times in the course of his entire public life. Philip certainly had a strong sense of his 'royal dignity', but was also extensively coached by Olivares, his key minister, in how to resemble the Baroque model of a sovereign, which would form a key political tool for Philip throughout his reign.
Philip was a fine horseman, a keen hunter and a devotee of bull-fighting, all central parts of royal public life at court during the period.
Others have described Philip's private personality as 'naturally kind, gentle and affable' and those close to him claimed
he was academically competent, with a good grasp of Latin and geography, and could speak French, Portuguese and Italian well.
He attended 'academies' in Madrid throughout his reign — these were lighthearted literary salons, aiming to analyse contemporary literature and poetry with a humorous touch. Like many of his contemporaries, including Olivares, he had a keen interest in astrology. His handwritten translation of Francesco Guicciardini's texts on political history still exists.
Messina
was a town in Sicily originally an ancient greek city. The city reached the peak of its splendour in the early 17th century, under Spanish domination: at the time it was one of the ten greatest cities in Europe.
Includes excerpts from Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia
We Thank You for stopping in and taking time to look at and bid on our listings.
Good Luck Bidding or Buying !
We encourage you to
click the "
See other items
" link
above in the "
Seller Information
" area of the listing as well to check out our other items posted.  We have a variety of great classical and other ancient numismatic items available.
We will be regularly continuing to post for sale and auction a
wide variety of Ancient Roman, Greek, and Eastern coins as well as Medieval, Byzantine, and some Modern coins as well.
We can
combine shipping
if buying or winning multiple items. Just contact us before you pay and let us know and we will gladly send an updated invoice with the combined shipping amount.
You can also follow us to be notified when new listings are posted.
With over 20 years in the numismatics hobby
we continue to revel in the excitement that comes from holding each new small piece of history in our hands.
We enjoy the enduring sense of history both of the prior uses and users as well as the creativity and necessity that surround the time and place at which these coins were minted and used in circulation.
Our aim is to cater not just to the high end collector but also to the hobbyist and the newly initiated and those on a limited budget.
Everyone starts the hobby somewhere and where we can share our knowledge to help inform or jumpstart your collecting pleasure we will aim to do so.
We want you to love every purchase you make with us and
we always stand by the quality and authenticity of all the coins we are selling
.