$3,597.00 USD
Issued under Doge Michele (Michael) Steno at the height of Venice's commercial and naval dominance, this 1400–1413 Venice Ducat, graded NGC MS65, exemplifies the Venetian Republic's stability, sacred imagery, and precision minting. The ducat’s consistent weight and gold purity made it a benchmark of trust in international trade across the Mediterranean and beyond.
Obverse: Mark the Evangelist stands at left presenting a long banner to the kneeling Doge Michael Steno at right. Both figures are richly robed, with the legend encircling them referencing S. M. VENET and MICHAEL STENO DVX, affirming both divine and civic authority.
Reverse: Christ stands facing within an almond-shaped mandorla bordered by stars, raising His right hand in benediction and holding the Book of Gospels in His left. The legend SIT T XPE DAT QTV REGIS ISTE DVCAT ("Let this ducat be blessed, O Christ, you who rule") reflects the sacred aura imbued in the Republic’s coinage.
Weighing 3.56g and graded an extraordinary MS65, this specimen is a superbly preserved medieval gold coin. Its sharply rendered strike, gleaming luster, and clean, unmarred surfaces place it at the pinnacle of the known condition census for Venetian ducats. A trophy piece for collectors of Italian or religious-themed gold coinage, it embodies the refinement and authority of one of Europe’s longest-lasting and wealthiest republics.
