VITO VITI (1787-1866)

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 ofEuropean 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 collectionof 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 inthe 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 auctioncatalogues 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 andconveniently 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 workingfor 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 Fiengoimporting 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 dealerselling 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 goodsinto 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 hisimported 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; thesecond 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.

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