ITALY. Venezia (Venice). Anonymous. 6 Bagattini (Copper, 23 mm, 2.44 g, 12 h), no date (1619-1649). ·SAN·MARCVS·VEN· Front of Saint Mark making a benediction gesture with his right hand and holding the Gospel on his left hand. Rev. ★R★C★★★L★A★ / ★6★ on the exergue Facing Madonna with Child on right. Paolucci 734. Montenegro 51. In NGC encapsulation, graded MS 64 RD. Top Pop. Possibly the oldest mint state red colour coin graded by a third-party grading company. Small areas of weakness and minor doubling, otherwise, virtually as struck.


These coins formed part of the metropolitan coinage of Venice. Although struck for Venice itself, they are commonly encountered in Venetian colonies, with finds documented in Crete and the Ionian Islands. In the latter, the first port of call for merchant galleys on eastward trading voyages, they appear with particular frequency. The type was minted pursuant to the decree of 20 April 1619. Specimens are typically encountered either heavily worn from circulation or showing numerous minting flaws (and sometimes both). The present coin is an exception: aside from a faint double strike on the word MARCVS, it shows no minting problems and retains a genuine mint-red color.