ITALY. Venice. Gold 1/2 Ducato of 4 Zecchini, ND (1789-97)-ZD. Lodovico Manin. NGC EF Details--Tooled. Fr-Unlisted (though cf. 1443 & 1444 for 5 & 2 Zecchini, respectively); KM-Unlisted; CNI-39. Weight: 13.86 gms. Obverse: S M V LVDOVICV MANIN, St. Mark seated right, holding cruciform banner and blessing doge kneeling to right; Reverse: MEDI DVCAT VENET, winged lion of St. Mark left, head facing, resting forepaw upon open book propped against tower. This<strong> INCREDIBLY RARE </strong>denomination, unlisted in both Friedberg and KM, is mentioned in the <em>Corpus Nummorum Italicorum</em>, with the exact legend characteristics (stops included) of this piece matching that of those referenced there. Whats more, the weight of the Kings example in <em>CNI</em> (13.85 gms) is almost identical to this specimen, with the difference possibly being a minor accounting error. Given the intense <strong>RARITY </strong>and the fact that so many specifics are a match (or near-match), it is entirely possible that this example is that which is referenced in <em>CNI</em>. Ex: Stacks (1/2008) Lot # 3057.
