The Maltese Islands have known three
periods of numismatic culture confirmed by the issue of coins.
One, the little-known, autonomous issue of a bronze coinage
struck after the islands were ceded to Rome by the Carthaginians
at the outbreak of the Second Punic War (218 BC) and which
reflects the triple (Punic/Greek/Roman) culture prevalent during
the last two centuries BC. The second and better known, was
the period of the rule of the Order of St John, whose coinage
struck between 1530 and 1798, has been the subject of a number
of books. The third period, much more recent, began after the
establishment of the Central Bank of Malta in 1968, the demonetization
of British currency during 1971/72 and the subsequent issue
of Maltese coins. On 1 January 2008, Malta adopted the euro
as its national currency and the euro became Malta's legal
tender.
Malti
|
