1/2 Bolognino - Gregory XV

Gregory XV's pontificate lasted barely two years (1621–1623), but his administrative output was disproportionate — he founded the Sacred Congregation for the Propagation of the Faith and overhauled papal conclave rules in ways that still govern elections today. The Ferrara mint operated under direct papal authority following the 1598 devolution of the Este duchy to the Holy See, making its output technically Roman coinage struck in the Po Valley.

Copper fractionals from this reign are genuinely scarce by survival, not by original mintage. They circulated hard in local markets and were poorly preserved by contemporaries who saw them as expendable small change.