South Asia, India, ca. 18th to 19th century CE. A rare bronze die for creating coins, comprised of a cylindrical body and circular stamp face cast in India for replicating the Venetian ducat known as a zecchino. The bronze stamp face is of course backwards, and features a kneeling dodge, a member of the Venetian political elite receiving a standard from Saint Mark. The inscription on the left is “S M VENET” for Saint Mark of Venice, and in the center is the dodge’s title “DVX.” Included is a putty impression of the stamp to show the correct orientation of the final cast coins. The gold zecchino coins were minted in Venice and used by traders, colonizers, and missionaries spread throughout Asia. Ducats served as the model for other currencies throughout Europe during the coinage reforms of the 16th through early 18th centuries. These ducats were valued in India for their dependable gold purity and weight. This die is an example of the Indian production of imitation ducats. While this one contains the Venetian and Christian symbolism, some Indian dies replaced Saint Mark and the dodge with Hindu deities such as Radha and Krishna! Size: 0.85" L x 0.85" Diameter (2.2 cm x 2.2 cm)

During the 15th century, as Europe and its traders/colonizers/missionaries spread throughout the world, merchants began to shift their business currency from the florin to the ducat. Ducats served as the model for other currencies throughout Europe during the coinage reforms of the 16th, 17th, and, in the case of England, the early 18th centuries, as European rulers standardized their coinage. The gold Venetian ducat was renamed "zecchino" in the mid-16th century when Venice began minting a silver coin also called a ducat. The word zecchino comes from the Arabic word “sikka” which means a die or coin mold.

For more information see Ives, Herbert E., The Venetian Gold Ducat and its Imitations, ANS Numismatic Notes and Monographs 128, pp.25-28 and pls. XIII and XVI.

Provenance: ex-estate of Eldert Bontekoe, Pegasi Numismatics, Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA acquired before 2000

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#158468

Losses and chips to handle end. Face side is well preserved with green patina within recessed areas. Modern clay impression included.