ITALY. Tuscany. Tallero, 1699/8. Leghorn Mint. Cosimo III de Medici. NGC MS-64. Dav-4215; KM-16.4. The single finest certified and only Mint State example of the date on the NGC population report. This beautiful looking survivor exhibits boldly struck devices with lovely rich patina that somewhat subdues the lustrous surfaces. An ever-popular type that seldom appears on the market in this lofty state of preservation destined for a fine cabinet.<p><em>Cosimo III de Medici, Grand Duke of Tuscany, reigned for 53 years and pretty much ran Tuscany into the ground during the long course of his tenure. Tuscany would never recover as an international banking and trade center after his rule. The Tollero offered here is suggestive of that decline, with the reverse harbor scene bearing little resemblance to the contemporary Swiss Talers that so exquisitely mastered this numismatic technique.</em>
