| Numismatica Ars Classica > Auction 159 | Auction date: 5 November 2025 |
| Lot number: 336 Price realized: 12,000 CHF (Approx. 14,829 USD / 12,905 EUR) Note: Prices do not include buyer's fees. | |
| Lot description: The House of Aragon John II of Anjou, in the name of his father René. Sulmona. Carlino (1460-1461), AR 3.53 g. + RENATVS DE – G R IELVSLE The King seated facing on throne flanked by lions' foreparts, holding lis-tipped sceptre and globus cruciger; beneath, SMPE within cartouche. Rev. + ONOR REGIS IVDICIV DILIGIT Quartered arms in full field of Lorraine-Bar in 1st and 4th quarters and Naples in 2nd and 3rd. MEC XIV, unlisted but commentary p. 347. MIR 780. D'Andrea-Andreani 20 var. Vall-Llosera I Tarrés p. 254. Exceedingly rare. About extremely fine John II of Anjou, son of René, King of Naples, and Isabella of Lorraine, inherited the titles of Duke of Calabria and, later, Duke of Lorraine and of Bar. He was also the nephew of Charles VII of France. During his lifetime, he was involved in the struggles for the throne of Naples, supporting his family's claims against the Aragonese. He was also militarily active in France, taking part in the Hundred Years' War, and in Italy, where he led the attempt to reconquer the Kingdom of Naples after the death of Alfonse I (V) of Aragon. He died poisoned in Barcelona on December 16, 1470, without direct heirs, marking a weakening of the Angevin branch in European politics. Estimate: 10000 CHF |  |
Match 1:
| Numismatica Ars Classica > Auction 159 | Auction date: 5 November 2025 |
| Lot number: 350 Price realized: 20,000 CHF (Approx. 24,716 USD / 21,508 EUR) Note: Prices do not include buyer's fees. | |
| Lot description: The House of Aragon Alfonso II of Aragona, 24 January 1494 – 23 January 1495. Ostentation or coronation half carlino, AR 1.82 g. ΛLFON II VICTOR ET (ligate) LIBER Ribbon bounding three diadems of Saint, inscribed VΛL – E – R. Rev. CONCORDIAE Bird l. on the exergual line. Pannuti-Riccio unlisted. MEC XIV, unlisted. MIR 91 (this coin illustrated.). Vall-Llosera I Tarrés 286 (this coin illustrated). Gionata Barbieri in Caffè Numismatico, Proceedings of the Numismatic Meeting at Palazzo Carbone, Palazzo Carbone, Naples 2011. Apparently unique. Old cabinet tone and good extremely fine Ex NAC sale 32, 2006, 85. The riddle of the interpretation of the obverse device has been solved by an interesting and learned monograph presented by Gionata Barbieri during the numismatic meeting held in Naples the 5th October 2011. The author offers an interesting and credible interpretation of the coin, allowing previous theories-particularly those of Traina-to be set aside. Barbieri demonstrates that the three figures in the field do not represent crowns, nor do they allude to the Aragonese kingdoms. According to Barbieri-contrary to Traina, who overlooked this aspect-the symbolism of the depicted numeral is central, linking the coinage to the Battle of Campomorto (1482) and highlighting Alfonso II's attempt to construct his own heroic iconography. The legend VICTOR LIBER celebrates the liberation of Otranto (1481), reinforcing the sovereign's self-glorification. On the reverse, the image of the bird in motion symbolizes the reconciliation with rebellious barons, contrasting with the notion of the "caged sparrow" used by Antonello Sanseverino. The coin thus functions as a political and propagandistic tool, exalting Alfonso II as the guarantor of harmony and freedom. Finally, the letters VAL – E – R, inscribed in scrolls beneath the three diadems on the obverse-an emblem of Alfonso II-should, according to the author, be read as the solution to a rebus: DIA DEMES VALER ("day on which to be most valiant"). Estimate: 15000 CHF |  |
Match 2:
| Numismatica Ars Classica > Auction 159 | Auction date: 5 November 2025 |
| Lot number: 291 Price realized: 950 CHF (Approx. 1,174 USD / 1,022 EUR) Note: Prices do not include buyer's fees. | |
| Lot description: The House of Aragon Alfonso V of Aragona, I as King of Naples, 1435/42 - 1458 Carlino (1443), AR 3.30 g. + ALFONSVS D GRA ARAG S C V R Quartered arms in full field of Aragona, 1st and 4th, and Naples (Jerusalem-Anjou-Hungary) in 2nd and third. Rev. DNS M ADIVT ET EGO DES I M The King seated facing on throne flanked by lions' foreparts, holding lis-tipped sceptre and globus cruciger. Vidal-Quadra 5989 (this coin). Pannuti-Riccio 3. MEC XIV, 849-853. MIR 54. Vall-Llosera I Tarrés 29. Old cabinet tone. Good very fine Ex Aureo & Calicó sale 24.04.2014, 565. From the Vidal-Quadras collection, with the original collector's card. Estimate: 500 CHF |  |
Match 3:
| Numismatica Ars Classica > Auction 159 | Auction date: 5 November 2025 |
| Lot number: 337 Price realized: 13,000 CHF (Approx. 16,065 USD / 13,980 EUR) Note: Prices do not include buyer's fees. | |
| Lot description: The House of Aragon Giovanni Antonio Orsini del Balzo prince of Taranto, in the name of René of Anjou. Lecce. Gigliato (1461), AR 3.19 g. + RENATVS D G SI ET IERVS The King seated facing on throne flanked by lions' foreparts, holding lis-tipped sceptre and globus cruciger; in l. field, °L surmounted by lis. Rev. + HONOR R IVDICIVM DILIGIT Cross of Lorraine quartered with lis. MEC XIV, unlisted but commentary p. 349. MIR 466. D'Andrea-Andreani 1. Vall-Llosera I Tarrés p. 255 Exceedingly rare, only very few specimens known. Minor areas of weakness on obverse, otherwise very fine. Giovanni Antonio (1401-1463) was an Italian nobleman from the powerful Orsini del Balzo family, one of the most influential in the Kingdom of Naples during the 15th century. Son of Raimondo, he inherited vast estates and titles, including those of Prince of Taranto, Duke of Bari, and Count of Lecce. He was a central figure in the power struggles of the Kingdom of Naples, initially supporting the Angevin cause against the Aragonese. However, his ambitions led him to clash with King Alfonso I (V) of Aragon, who sought to reduce the influence of the Orsini del Balzo family. After a series of conflicts and unstable alliances, Giovanni gradually lost control of his domains, witnessing the decline of his power. He was strangled by order of Ferrante I of Aragon in 1463, leaving behind a complex political legacy marked by his confrontation with the Aragonese monarchy. As Prince of Taranto, one of the wealthiest and most influential fiefs in the South, Giovanni obtained the right to mint coins, a prerogative granted only to the most prestigious feudal lords, with most of the coins being tornesi, carleni, and ducati. This privilege highlighted the strategic and economic importance of the principality, which served as a bulwark against the claims of the Aragonese crown. Giovanni's coinage fits into a context of strong feudal autonomy, where lords in Southern Italy exercised almost sovereign power over vast territories, often in open competition with the central authority. Estimate: 12500 CHF |  |
Match 4:
| Numismatica Ars Classica > Auction 159 | Auction date: 5 November 2025 |
| Lot number: 237 Price realized: 10,000 CHF (Approx. 12,358 USD / 10,754 EUR) Note: Prices do not include buyer's fees. | |
| Lot description: The Second House of Anjou Charles III of Anjou-Durazzo, 1381 – 1386. Gigliato (1382-1386), AR 3.95 g. + KAR(ligate)OL' TERI DI GRA IERL' ET SICIL REX The King seated facing on throne flanked by lions' foreparts, holding lis-tipped sceptre and globus cruciger. Rev. + hONOR REGIS IUDICIU DILIGIT Cross fleurée, with lis in each quarter. Pannuti-Riccio 1 var. MEC XIV, unlisted but commentary p. 237. MIR 37. Extremely rare. Minor areas of weakness, otherwise about extremely fine Privately purchased in the late 90s.As the only surviving male descendant of the Angevin-Durazzo branch, Charles could claim the right to succession in the two Angevin kingdoms of Naples and Hungary. Having conquered and pacified that of Naples not without difficulty due to the opposition of Louis I of Anjou, whom Joanna I had appointed as her heir, upon the death of the Hungarian sovereign Charles also turned his sights on the Hungarian throne. He was probably looking for the success that would give him greater power to solve the Neapolitan problems in the Hungarian expedition, with the fulfillment of his dynastic ambitions. Unfortunately, the drawing was fatal to him. Having arrived in Buda with the favor of some of the local nobility, he was crowned there on 31 December 1385, but shortly thereafter, on 7 February 1386, he was treacherously mortally wounded in the same city, the victim of a plot to which the Queen Mother of Hungary, Elizabeth, was no stranger. Estimate: 10000 CHF |  |
Match 5:
| Numismatica Ars Classica > Auction 159 | Auction date: 5 November 2025 |
| Lot number: 289 Price realized: 275 CHF (Approx. 340 USD / 296 EUR) Note: Prices do not include buyer's fees. | |
| Lot description: The House of Aragon Alfonso V of Aragona, I as King of Naples, 1435/42 - 1458 L'Aquila. Carlino (1442-1458), AR 3.47 g. + ALFONSV D G R ARA S C V F Quartered arms in full field of Naples (Jerusalem-Anjou-Hungary), 1st and 4th, and Aragona, 2nd and 3rd. Rev. DNS M ADIVT ET EGO D I M The King seated facing on throne flanked by lions' foreparts, holding lis-tipped sceptre and globus cruciger. Pannuti-Riccio 5 (misattributed to Naples). MEC XIV, 856-857 (misattributed to Naples). MIR 76. D'Andrea-Andreani 70. Vall-Llosera I Tarrés 22 var. Old cabinet tone and very fine. Estimate: 200 CHF |  |
