(sold for $157.0)

1780, Doges of Venice, Paolo Renier. Silver ½ Tallero (Half Levantine Thaler) Coin.

Mint year: 1784 Reference: KM-C#729. R! Doge: Paolo Renier (1779-1789) Assayer: Allesandro Semitecollo (A.S.)   Denomination: ½ Tallero (half venetian thaler, "mezzo tallero per il Levante") Condition: Edge-hit at 9:30 (obverse), a few scratches, dark toning, otherwise VF+ Weight: 13.87gm Diameter: 33mm Material: Silver

Obverse: Female diademed bust right (imitating the design of the back then widely accepted Maria Theresia Thaler!). Legend: * RESPUBLICA VENETA * §

Reverse: Winged and nimbate lion of St. Mark holding book of gospels. Mint master´s initials (S-A) on ground-line. Legend: * PAULO RANIERO DUCE * Exergue: * 1780 *

For your consideration a  beautiful example of a silver ½ tallero (venetian half thaler), also known as "mezzo tallero per il Levante" in Italian, struck for the trade with the Levant. The obverse design is imitating the back then preferred Maria Theresia Thaler, which was very popular trade currency. Therefore, this silver trade coin eased the trade transactions of the Venetians, which were crucial for the small state, which depended on the income of its trade operations. A beautiful  historically important coin, and a great addition!

Historically, the "trade on the Levant" between Western Europe and the Ottoman Empire was of great economic importance.

The term Levant, which first appeared in English in 1497, originally meant a wider sense of "Mediterranean lands east of Venetia", as in French soleil levant "rising Sun" — from the verb lever, "to rise", from Latin levare "to raise". It thus referred to the Eastern direction of the rising Sun from the perspective of those who first used it and has analogues in other languages, notably morgenland – or a closely related word meaning morning land – in most Germanic languages.

em>. Bidwith confidence!

The Renier Family was part of the Great Council of Venice since the Chioggia War (1378-1381), which is remarkably late considering that they were present in Venice since 970. They were rather poor patricians until the 18th Century, as Polo Ranier generated considerable wealth from his profits of grain trade with the Orient. He was the son of Andrea Ranier and Elisabeth Morosini. The latter were a well known name in Venice, they were known as high-ranked officials and had already three Doges in the Family bearing the name Morosini.

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