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V21 2018 INDEX       E-SYLUM ARCHIVE

The E-Sylum: Volume 21, Number 39, September 30, 2018, Article 13

VITO VITI (1787-1866)
John Lupia submitted the following information from the online draft of his book of numismatic biographies for this week's installment of his series. Thank you. As always, this is an excerpt with the full article and bibliography available online. This week's subject is Italian immigrant Vito Viti of Philadelphia. -Editor

VITI family
Photograph of the Viti family : (Center) Vito Viti ;
(Left) Francis A. Viti ; (Right) Alonzo M. Viti.

For the American numismatic historian, on the surface, Vito Viti was an Italian immigrant who lived in Philadelphia for nearly fifty years from 1817 - 1866, as an importer of European artworks. He was a sculptor and importer of antiques, antiquities, Italian and French art, and documented as having held two auctions in 1824 that contained a collection of ancient coins. It seems highly probable that on his numerous trips to Europe he continuously brought back ancient as well as other European coins and medals for collectors in the United States, and that many of his auctions most likely also contained these coins and medals that went unlisted in his newspaper advertisements. None of his auction catalogues are extant. It does not seem coincidental that the coins offered for sale in the famous so-called A. C. Kline sale held at Moses Thomas, June 12-13, 1855, neatly and conveniently fit the description of coins most likely to have been acquired from Vito Viti or of Vito Viti himself.

Vito Viti first came to America and settled at Virginia at age twenty-nine. He arrived from Lisbon to America at the port of Alexandria on November 17, 1816, and began working for Nicola Fiengo & Company at Baltimore, Maryland. He either met Fiengo in Lisbon or else was already associated with him there or previously since a record of Fiengo importing goods for sale in Lisbon appeared in the Gazeta de Lisboa, No. 40, February 15, 1816. Regardless, one year later we find him as an independent art importer and dealer selling his wares in Georgetown, Washington, D. C., since Fiengo moved to New York opening the "Italian Gallery" on Broadway.

The following year he developed business at Philadelphia, which had been established between Stephen Girard (1750-1831), an importer of that city and his brother Antonio Viti, an alabaster artist of Volterra. Antonio Viti used to ship his sculptures and other merchandise from Genoa and Leghorn to the Port of Philadelphia. Vito Viti began importing goods into Philadelphia as early as 1818. Although Vito Viti set up both a residence and store in Philadelphia he also maintained stores in other states including New York City, Hartford, Connecticut, Salem, Massachusetts, Charlotte, South Carolina, and New Orleans, Louisiana. He was not only a frequent traveler within the United States selling his imported goods but also a frequent traveler into Europe buying goods in various countries and always returning to his family villa at Volterra.

Two of the earliest known numismatic auctions held by Vito Viti took place in 1824. The first was held at Mills & Minton Auction House, Philadelphia on 6 April, 1824; the second from 5-6 May, 1824 at New York. Details from John N. Lupia, III, American Numismatic Auctions to 1875 (2013) : 76-77.

He died August 9, 1866 at his home 513 South 4th Street, Philadelphia. His funeral services were held on Tuesday, August 14, 1866, at 4 P.M., at St. Joseph Catholic Church, Philadelphia. He is buried in the Old Cathedral Catholic Cemetery.

To read the complete article, see:

VITI, VITO (https://sites.google.com/a/numismaticmall.com/www/numismaticmall-com/viti-vito)

* * * * *

The entire inventory of the Lupia Numismatic Library is for sale. Individual items will be available before the remaining archives are broken up into parcels sold at philatelic auctions in the U. S. and Hong Kong. Check

NumismaticMall.com frequently as dozens of new items with estimates will be posted daily until everything is sold.

All inquiries will be given prompt and courteous attention. Write to:

john@numismaticmall.com .

Wayne Homren, Editor

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