(sold for $134.0)

1795, Genoa (Republic). Scarce Silver 4 Lire (1/2 Piastra) Coin. Cleaned aXF!

Mint Year: 1795 Denomination: 4 Lire (1/2 Piastra) Mint Place: KM-248 ($300 in XF!). R! Condition: Scratches and light deposits, cleaned, otherwise about XF! Material: Silver (.889) Weight: 16.53gm Diameter: 33mm

Obverse: Nimbate and draped figure of John the baptist holding cross-topped banner. Legend: NON . SURREXIT .  MAJOR . 1795 .

Reverse: Crown above shield with coat-of-arms of the Republic of Genoa, supported by Gryphs, which are standing on a decorated base. Value (L.4) below. Legend: DUX . ET . GUB .  - REIP . GENU . / L . 4

John the Baptist was an itinerant preacher and a major religious figure in Christianity, Islam (known as Yahya ibn Zakariyya), the Bahá'í Faith, and Mandaeism. John is described as having the unique practice of baptism for the forgiveness of sins. Most scholars agree that John baptized Jesus. Scholars generally believe Jesus was a follower or disciple of John and several New Testament accounts report that some of Jesus' early followers had previously been followers of John. John the Baptist is also mentioned by Jewish historian Josephus. Some scholars maintain that John was influenced by the semi-ascetic Essenes, who expected an apocalypse and practiced rituals corresponding strongly with baptism, although no direct evidence substantiates this. According to the New Testament, John anticipated a messianic figure greater than himself, and Jesus was the one whose coming John foretold. Christians commonly refer to John as the precursor or forerunner of Jesus, since John announces Jesus' coming. John is also identified with the prophet Elijah.

The Most Serene Republic of Genoa  was an independent state from 1005 to 1797 in Liguria on the northwestern Italian coast, as well as Corsica from 1347 to 1768, and numerous under territories throughout the Mediterranean. It began when Genoa became a self-governing commune within the Regnum Italicum, and ended when it was conquered by First French Republic under Napoleon and replaced with the Ligurian Republic. Corsica was ceded in the Treaty of Versailles of 1768. The Ligurian Republic was annexed by the First French Empire in 1805, and its restoration was briefly proclaimed in 1814 following   the defeat of Napoleon, but was ultimately annexed by the Kingdom of Sardinia in 1815. Today Genoa is the name of the capital city of Liguria, a northwestern region of Italy.

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