ITALY. Savoia (Ducato). Emanuele Filiberto, 1538-1580. Testone 1561 V (Silver, 28 mm, 9.52 g, 10 h), First type, Vercelli F (mint master L. Ferraris). E PHILIBERT DVX SABAVDIE Cuirassed bust of Emanuele Filiberto to left.
Rev. AVXILIVM MEVM A DOMINO F Crowned coat of arms. Biaggi 427. MIR 508. Simonetti 35. Very rare in this condition. Nicely toned. Slightly rough and a tiny flan fault on the obverse
, otherwise, extremely fine.
From the Richard Margolis Collection.
Emanuele Filiberto inherited a war-torn duchy, caught between French and Spanish forces. A fearless fighter and brilliant strategist, he earned the nickname 'Testa di Ferro' ('Ironhead' in Italian) and joined Emperor Charles V’s (1500-1558) service in 1543. The list of major battles he fought in is long - Ingolstadt (1546), Mühlberg (1547), Renty (1554), Saint-Quentin (1557), and many more.
Beyond the battlefield, he proved a capable ruler, curbing noble privileges, centralizing power, and boosting trade. However, his legendary love of wine led to his downfall - he died of liver cirrhosis in 1580, leaving behind a prosperous Savoy with full coffers and a well-trained standing army.
