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Malta coins along the years BY JOSEPH C. SAMMUT - from the AirMalta In-Flight Magazine 'MALTA' March 2004
Roman Maltese Coins - It is surprising to many that Maltese coins can be traced back to the 3rd century BC. In 218BC, the Carthaginian garrison on Malta commanded by Hamilcar sur- rendered to a Roman expeditionary force led by Consul Tiberius Sempronius Longus. Henceforth the Maltese islands passed un- der Roman control and began to form part of the praetorship of Sicily and were subsequently granted the status of municipia and allowed to strike their own money. Maltese coins of the Roman period were presumably circulated during the last two centuries BC and in their majority were all struck on the Roman weight standard, the bronze As. These coins including those of Malta 's sister island-Gozo - are all in bronze, the only metal Rome allowed to be coined in Sicilian municipia. Besides the deep religious convictions these Romano - Maltese coins indicate the gradual development of culture in Roman Malta; from a Punic. culture, to Punic-Greek, Graeco-Roman and finally to a Latin one The earliest coins bear the pre-Roman name of Malta – ANN (Gbonan) shown by the trilitic inscription alepb, nun, nun. Later issues though remaining Punic in design have Greek inscriptions - ME?ITAION (of the Maltese) or GAY?ITON (of the Gozitans). The Romanization of Maltese culture is finally reflected in the coins issued at the close of the first century		BC and which have the Latin inscription - MELITAS (of Malta ) - on its own. After the first century there is no evidence that any more Romano Maltese coins were struck and, the Roman metropolitan coinage which at the time was current throughout the Empire, became the standard currency in the Maltese islands. Medieval Currency - Between the division of the Roman Empire in AD395 and the arrival of the Hospitaller Order of St John in 1530, the circulating medium in the Maltese islands consisted of coins of their successive rulers: Arabs (870-1090); Normans (1127-94); Swabians (1194-1266); Angevines (1266-83); and Aragonese (1284-1530). Although no Maltese coins of the medieval period are known to exist either in public or private collections; references to Maltese speciecan be found in official documents and notarial acts of the Middle Ages. This money is referred to as pecunia e moneta Malte and pecunia e moneta Gaudisy. According to both Sicilian and Maltese documentation the value of these Maltese coins was one-seventh of the Sicilian (moneta Malte que computator ad racionem de septem pro una de moneta Sicilie). Their presumed and possible existence, will for many years, remain a vexata quaestio between the historian and the numismatist. The Coinage of the Order - Charles V, King of Spain and titular head of the Holy Roman Empire conceded the Maltese islands and the Fortress of Tripoli to the Hospitaller Order of St John on 23 March 1530 . After many negotiations and the intercession of His Holiness Clement VII - the Order also acquired the right of minting its own coins in Malta

Throughout the Order's rule (1530-1798) various gold, silver and copper coins were struck at first in the Castle of St Angelo in Birgu and, after 1573 in the Tower of the Magistral Palace in Valletta., At some stage during the rule of Grand Master Alof de Wignacourt (1601-22) the Order's mint was installed in a house at the top of Mint Street and in about 1788 it was relocated in the Conservatoria, now the National Library of Malta. In 1609 the Order decided to adapt its monetary system to that of Sicily and after that year coins minted at the Malta mint began to conform in weight and fineness to those struck at the mint in Messina . Denominations in the Order's coinage included the 12, 10. 4, 2 and 1 Zecchini pieces as well as the 20, 10 and 5 Scudi pieces. In the silver series there were the 30, 8, 6, 4, 3, 2, and 1 Tare, the 2 Scudi and 1 Scudo as well as the Carlino, Cinquina and Half Cinquina. The copper coinage consisted of denominations of 4, 2 and 1 Tare, Carlino, Cinquina, Half Cinquina, Grano, 3 Piccioli and Picciolo. The Zecchino, called by the Maltese Zekkin or Skud tad-debeb was the standard coin for the gold coinage. The Scudo (Skud tal--fidda), the standard unit of account, was equal to 12 Tan, each Tan being equal to 20 Grani. The Grano was subdivided into 6 Piccioli (Dinieri). The 4, 2 and 1 Tan denominations in copper were first minted in 1566 as coins of nominal value or as token money because the Order was then in dire need of funds to meet the expenses involved in the building of the new city of Valletta . Similar fiduciary coins were struck in subsequent years and these continued to pass current in Malta at par with Sicilian silver and to maintain their value with local silver coins until 1636 as the amount put		in circulation until that year had been more or less proportionate to the internal needs of the island. However the re-issue of an excessive amount of similar token money during the magistracy of Jean-Paul Lascaris Castellar (1636-57) caused much hardship and unbalanced the rate of exchange between silver and copper. Currency during French Rule - After the surrender of Malta to Napoleon in June 1798 and the departure of the Knights of St John , the French seized whatever gold and silver and precious stones from the Conventual Church of St John, other churches and institutions. Some of the silver confiscated was taken to the mint and converted into 30 and 15 Tare pieces bearing the bust and arms of Ferdinand von Hompesch, the last Grand Master to govern Malta . Following the revolt of the Maltese against the French garrison, the Monte di Pieta, a state-owned pawning institution, was in 1799 stripped of all

gold and silver articles to finance the troops. During the subsequent blockade no minting could be carried out due to the lack of certain materials and the confiscated gold and silver of the Monte were converted into ingots, stamped with their intrinsic value and circulated as money. Currency during British Rule - With the advent of the British Protectorate in 1800 the mint ceased to function and the machinery was taken to the Civil Arsenal also in Valletta . In 1828, after being polished and put in working order, it was sold to the Greek Government for the petty sum of £100. During the first fifty years of British rule the circulating medium in Malta consisted of the remaining coins of the Order of St John, a pot-pourri of foreign coins such as Sicilian denominations, Spanish, Mexican and South American doubloons and dollars as well as British coins declared legal current in June 1825. The copper coins of the Knights were demonetised in 1827 when a copper coin called the British Grain (1/3 Farthing - IlHabba) was struck at the Royal Mint for exclusive use in Malta . In October 1855 British coins were declared the sole legal tender with the remaining gold and silver of the Order whilst all foreign coins were demonetized. Despite this demonetization, the Sicilian dollar continued to dominate the local circulation, until it was finally withdrawn in 1886 when it was demonetized by the Italian Government. Concurrently the re- maining gold and silver coins of the Knights were also with drawn, so that Sterling was placed beyond doubt as the sole legal tender currency of Malta . Malta 's Decimal Currency - British coins remained legal tender until they were demonetized in stages during 1971/72 and, in May 1972. On 16 May 1972 , Malta changed over to a decimal currency and abandoned the old British system of Pounds, Shillings and Pence. The Malta Pound (renamed Maltese Lira in 1983) was retained as the currency unit. This was divided into 100 cents and the 1 cent into 10 mils. The first set of decimal coins issued in 1972 consisted of eight denominations: 50c., 10c., 5c., and 2c. in copper nickel: lc. in		bronze and 5m., 3m. and 2m. in al uminium. An octagonal 25c. denomination in brass was introduced in December 1975. A second Maltese Decimal set of seven definitive coins in denominations of Lml, 50c., 25c., 10c., 5c. 2c. and lc. was issued between May 1986 and November 1987. The common reverse of this set showed the emblem of the Republic of Malta established by Act.No. XXXIII of 1975. Besides these coins for circulation the Central Bank of Malta has, since 1972, also issued a number of noncirculating legal tender coins for numismatic purpose.
Thanks to Joseph Sammut for giving me a copy of this magazine and allowing me to add it to my web page. John Gatt

Malta coins along the years

BY JOSEPH C. SAMMUT - from the AirMalta In-Flight Magazine 'MALTA' March 2004

Roman Maltese Coins - It is surprising to many that Maltese coins can be traced back to the 3rd century BC. In 218BC, the Carthaginian garrison on Malta commanded by Hamilcar sur- rendered to a Roman expeditionary force led by Consul Tiberius Sempronius Longus. Henceforth the Maltese islands passed un- der Roman control and began to form part of the praetorship of Sicily and were subsequently granted the status of municipia and allowed to strike their own money. Maltese coins of the Roman period were presumably circulated during the last two

centuries BC and in their majority were all struck on the Roman weight standard, the bronze As. These coins including those of Malta 's sister island-Gozo - are all in bronze, the only metal Rome allowed to be coined in Sicilian municipia. Besides the deep religious convictions these Romano - Maltese coins indicate the gradual development of culture in Roman Malta; from a Punic. culture, to Punic-Greek, Graeco-Roman and finally to a Latin one The earliest coins bear the pre-Roman name of Malta – ANN (Gbonan) shown by the trilitic inscription alepb, nun, nun. Later issues though remaining Punic in design have Greek inscriptions - ME?ITAION (of the Maltese) or GAY?ITON (of the Gozitans). The Romanization of Maltese culture is finally reflected in the coins issued at the close of the first century

BC and which have the Latin inscription - MELITAS (of Malta ) - on its own. After the first century there is no evidence that any more Romano Maltese coins were struck and, the Roman metropolitan coinage which at the time was current throughout the Empire, became the standard currency in the Maltese islands.

Medieval Currency - Between the division of the Roman Empire in AD395 and the arrival of the Hospitaller Order of St John in 1530, the circulating medium in the Maltese islands consisted of coins of their successive rulers: Arabs (870-1090); Normans (1127-94); Swabians (1194-1266); Angevines (1266-83); and Aragonese (1284-1530). Although no Maltese coins of the medieval period are known to exist either in public or private collections; references to Maltese speciecan be found in official documents and notarial acts of the Middle Ages. This money is referred to as pecunia e moneta Malte and pecunia e moneta Gaudisy. According to both Sicilian and Maltese documentation the value of these

Maltese coins was one-seventh of the Sicilian (moneta Malte que computator ad racionem de septem pro una de moneta Sicilie). Their presumed and possible existence, will for many years, remain a vexata quaestio between the historian and the numismatist.

The Coinage of the Order - Charles V, King of Spain and titular head of the Holy Roman Empire conceded the Maltese islands and the Fortress of Tripoli to the Hospitaller Order of St John on 23 March 1530 . After many negotiations and the intercession of His Holiness Clement VII - the Order also acquired the right of minting its own coins in Malta

Throughout the Order's rule (1530-1798) various gold, silver and copper coins were struck at first in the Castle of St Angelo in Birgu and, after 1573 in the Tower of the Magistral Palace in Valletta., At some stage during the rule of Grand Master Alof de Wignacourt (1601-22) the Order's mint was installed in a house at the top of Mint Street and in about 1788 it was relocated in the Conservatoria, now the National Library of Malta.

In 1609 the Order decided to adapt its monetary system to that of Sicily and after that year coins minted at the Malta mint began to conform in weight and fineness to those struck at the mint in Messina . Denominations in the Order's coinage included the 12, 10. 4, 2 and 1 Zecchini pieces as well as the 20, 10 and 5 Scudi pieces. In the silver series there were the 30, 8, 6, 4, 3, 2, and 1 Tare, the 2 Scudi and 1 Scudo as well as the Carlino, Cinquina and Half Cinquina. The copper coinage consisted of denominations of 4, 2 and 1 Tare, Carlino, Cinquina, Half Cinquina, Grano, 3 Piccioli and Picciolo.

The Zecchino, called by the Maltese Zekkin or Skud tad-debeb was the standard coin for the gold coinage. The Scudo

(Skud tal--fidda), the standard unit of account, was equal to 12 Tan, each Tan being equal to 20 Grani. The Grano was subdivided into 6 Piccioli (Dinieri).

The 4, 2 and 1 Tan denominations in copper were first minted in 1566 as coins of nominal value or as token money because the Order was then in dire need of funds to meet the expenses involved in the building of the new city of Valletta . Similar fiduciary coins were struck in subsequent years and these continued to pass current in Malta at par with Sicilian silver and to maintain their value with local silver coins until 1636 as the amount put

in circulation until that year had been more or less proportionate to the internal needs of the island. However the re-issue of an excessive amount of similar token money during the magistracy of Jean-Paul Lascaris Castellar (1636-57) caused much hardship and unbalanced the rate of exchange between silver and copper.

Currency during French Rule - After the surrender of Malta to Napoleon in June 1798 and the departure of the Knights of

St John , the French seized whatever gold and silver and precious stones from the Conventual Church of St John, other churches and institutions. Some of the silver confiscated was taken to the mint and converted into 30 and 15 Tare pieces bearing the bust and arms of Ferdinand von Hompesch, the last Grand Master to govern Malta . Following the revolt of the Maltese against the French garrison, the Monte di Pieta, a state-owned pawning institution, was in 1799 stripped of all

gold and silver articles to finance the troops. During the subsequent blockade no minting could be carried out due to the lack of certain materials and the confiscated gold and silver of the Monte were converted into ingots, stamped with their intrinsic value and circulated as money.

Currency during British Rule - With the advent of the British Protectorate in 1800 the mint ceased to function and the machinery was taken to the Civil Arsenal also in Valletta . In 1828, after being polished and put in working order, it was sold to the Greek Government for the petty sum of £100.

During the first fifty years of British rule the circulating medium in Malta consisted of the remaining coins of the Order of St John, a pot-pourri of foreign coins such as Sicilian denominations, Spanish, Mexican and South American doubloons and dollars as well as British coins declared legal current in June 1825. The copper coins of the Knights were demonetised in 1827 when a copper coin called the British Grain (1/3 Farthing - IlHabba) was struck at the Royal Mint for exclusive use in Malta .

In October 1855 British coins were declared the sole legal tender with the remaining gold and silver of the Order whilst all foreign coins were demonetized. Despite this demonetization, the Sicilian dollar continued to dominate the local circulation, until it was finally withdrawn in 1886 when it was demonetized by the Italian Government. Concurrently the re- maining gold and silver coins of the Knights were also with drawn, so that Sterling was placed beyond doubt as the sole legal tender currency of Malta .

Malta 's Decimal Currency - British coins remained legal tender until they were demonetized in stages during 1971/72 and, in May 1972. On 16 May 1972 , Malta changed over to a decimal currency and abandoned the old British system of Pounds, Shillings and Pence. The Malta Pound (renamed Maltese Lira in 1983) was retained as the currency unit. This was divided into 100 cents and the 1 cent into 10 mils. The first set of decimal coins issued in 1972 consisted of eight denominations: 50c., 10c., 5c., and 2c. in copper nickel: lc. in

bronze and 5m., 3m. and 2m. in al uminium. An octagonal 25c. denomination in brass was introduced in December 1975. A second Maltese Decimal set of seven definitive coins in denominations of Lml, 50c., 25c., 10c., 5c. 2c. and lc. was issued between May 1986 and November 1987. The common reverse of this set showed the emblem of the Republic of Malta established by Act.No. XXXIII of 1975. Besides these coins for circulation the Central Bank of Malta has, since 1972, also issued a number of noncirculating legal tender coins for numismatic purpose.

Thanks to Joseph Sammut for giving me a copy of this magazine and allowing me to add it to my web page.

John Gatt

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