117 / 128
115
515.
Italy. Paolo Andreani
, 1763-1823. Medal, 1784.
Silver. 43.5mm, 28.7g. Celebrating the first manned
flight in Italy. Obv: PAVLVS ANDREANVS PATR
MEDIOL AEREONAVTA; Bust right. Rx: AVSVS
ES VNVS ITALORVM: Balloon. Beautiful patina
and color. Rare
$800
Commissioned by HRE Joseph II, shortly after
completion of the March flight, and is considered to
have been struck in the same year. Although HRE
Joseph II was invited to the event, he declined, stat-
ing that he didn’t want to witness a suicide. The
Montgolfier Brothers had taken the first balloon
flight in France in 1783, so this contemporaneously
commemorates a very early event in the history of
lighter-than-air flight/aviation – hence its desirabil-
ity. (William J. Goetz)
516.
Nepal. Surendra Vikrama gold. Shah Dynasty
.
Tola., SE1794 (1872). Obv: Mandala. Rx: Lotus
with 8 sectors with symbols of the Buddhist
Dharma. KM-615, Fr-5. Fresh and lustrous, this coin
has great eye-appeal. MS65, NGC
$500
517.
Netherlands. Middleburg-Siege Coinage
. Klippe/
Netherlands Kroon, 1573. Copper. Vanhoudt-464.
AU55, NGC. Very rare
$1,000
The Siege of Middelburg (Dec 1572 – Feb 1574)
was a tumultuous event taking place during the
Eighty Years' War and the Anglo-Spanish War. This
coin dated 1573 was actually made from the dies
which originally made gold Kroon’s at the time. It
was explained to me by Hugo Vanhoudt, a leading
authority in Dutch coins, that the dies for these were
abandoned in the town hall after the siege. The
dies, being the central circular part of the coin with
the text, were then used to restrike the coins in cop-
per and in silver (as noted in his book). The punches
with the lion and tower were added separately by
provinces. Although we have yet to see another of
these copper Klippes on the market, you can see
two examples which are in the Royal Library of
Belgium, Coin Cabinet, Brussels. Inventory number
F38 /12 and F38/10.
518.
Sweden. Charles Gustavus X
, 1654-60. Medal. c.
1654. Johann Rethe. Medalist at Stockholm, 1632-
1657. 39.5g. Silver. 44.7mm. Obv: CAROLUS