Marco Ratto (Circa 1990's)
Ratto
The Ratto family included three generations of pre-eminent numismtists who dominated the numismatic marketplace for much for much of the 20th century. The business was started in 1893 in Genoa with Rodolfo Ratto (1866-1949), who later moved to Milan where, with the guidance of the keeper of the Museo Sforzesco, he built relationships with major collectors and museums in Italy and abroad. Ratto had frequently advised the Director of the Biblioteca Ambrosiana on numismatic matters, and was granted one of the first audiences with Cardinal Achille Ratti when he became Pope Pius XI in 1922. Ratto’s auction catalogues were issued in Genoa from 1895 until 1909, then in Milan from 1910 until 1919, and then in Lugano from 1923 until 1934. He handled important sales such as the collections of Bonazzi, Côte, Fröhner, Sydenham, Viganò, etc., and his 1930 auction-catalogue of Byzantine coins remains a reference-book to this day.
His son Mario Ratto (1906-1990) followed his father’s footsteps, and published fixed-price lists from 1928 onwards, and auction catalogues. He started his career by buying out the expert Henri Rolland (1887-1970) in 1928, and then holding auctions in Paris from 1931 to 1936, and in Milan from 1952 to 1974. During WWII, he had to return to Italy, and opened a business in Milan, while his employee Jean Vinchon took over operations in Paris. In 1951 he was one of the founding members of the International Association of Professional Numismatists, and in 1952 he appointed an Italian scholar named Antonio Pagani to the task of writing the catalogue of Mazzini’s collection. Later in his career, from 1979 to 1988, Mario Ratto acted as president of a Milanese auction-house, MONTENAPOLEONE ASTE D’ARTE.
In the 1950s, his son Marco Ratto (1933-2016) began to work in the family company, and it was with him that Biaggi built a close relationship based on trust and friendship, which over the years led to the formation of Biaggi’s incredible collection of aurei. The latter was a great lover of hunting and boxing, and Marco would often accompany him.
His son Mario Ratto (1906-1990) followed his father’s footsteps, and published fixed-price lists from 1928 onwards, and auction catalogues. He started his career by buying out the expert Henri Rolland (1887-1970) in 1928, and then holding auctions in Paris from 1931 to 1936, and in Milan from 1952 to 1974. During WWII, he had to return to Italy, and opened a business in Milan, while his employee Jean Vinchon took over operations in Paris. In 1951 he was one of the founding members of the International Association of Professional Numismatists, and in 1952 he appointed an Italian scholar named Antonio Pagani to the task of writing the catalogue of Mazzini’s collection. Later in his career, from 1979 to 1988, Mario Ratto acted as president of a Milanese auction-house, MONTENAPOLEONE ASTE D’ARTE.
In the 1950s, his son Marco Ratto (1933-2016) began to work in the family company, and it was with him that Biaggi built a close relationship based on trust and friendship, which over the years led to the formation of Biaggi’s incredible collection of aurei. The latter was a great lover of hunting and boxing, and Marco would often accompany him.
Biblio: Hadrien J. Rambach, Provenance Glossary of Coins in the George W. LaBorde Collection (published over three auctions in NAC 91, 99 and 105) (description); https://www.pinterest.com/pin/433893745337531003/ (image)
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