Venice

Marco Barbarigo, Doge of Venice 1485-1486

Fr-1240, M.196, PCGS-graded MS-63

Obverse depicts St. Mark standing right presenting banner to kneeling Doge. On the reverse Christ standing facing within stars, holding the gospel and raising hand in benediction. Very rare; struck from worn dies yet its charm remains sharp.

Surviving less than a year after coming to power, Barbarigo probably poisoned his predecessor and was such a famous villain that he appears in the game Assassin’s Creed II, only the latest portrayal of this ruthless man.