ITALY, Venezia (Venice). Giovanni Soranzo. 1312-1328. AV Ducato (20mm, 3.53 g, 6h). ·/S/ · /M/ ·/VENETI D/V/X · IO : SVPANTIO, St. Mark standing right and Doge kneeling left, holding cross-tipped scepter between them / · SIT · T XPЄ · DAT · Q · TV · RЄGIS · ISTЄ · DVCAT' ·, Christ standing facing within mandorla containing nine stars. Grierson, Coins of Medieval Europe C12; CNI VII 14; Papadopoli 1; Paolucci 1; MEC 12 1091; Friedberg 1218. Lightly toned. Good VF.
From the Richard A. Jourdan Collection of Medieval European Coins. Ex Künker 214 (21 June 2012), lot 7160.
The thirteenth century saw the introduction of one of the most successful and widely imitated gold coins in commercial history. On the 30 September 1284, Venice ordered the striking of gold ducats. Venice had followed Florence by a decade with the introduction of the ducat. According to Grierson (p.110) ' it was probably the importance of the Aegean trade to Venice that caused the delay ... in the creation of the ducat itself. The Venetians made more use of the Byzantine hyperpyron than did the Florentines, and only when (it) began to be debased anew, ..., did Venice see the need to create a gold coinage under its own control.'