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1/2 Ducato - Alvise Mocenigo IV
| Issuer | Republic of Venice |
|---|---|
| Year | 1763-1774 |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | 1/2 Ducato (3.1) |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
| Weight | Log in to see details |
| Diameter | Log in to see details |
| Thickness | Log in to see details |
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| Obverse description | Log in to see details |
|---|---|
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| Reverse description | The Lion of St. Mark strides to the left in full passant pose, its head turned to face the viewer frontally with a bold, heraldic expression. The lion's left forepaw rests upon an open Gospel book, a hallmark motif of Venetian civic iconography. Above the book, a castle upon a hill rises in the left field, symbolising the dominion of Venice. The design occupies a broad, uncluttered field, consistent with the dignified Venetian minting tradition of the eighteenth century. The encircling legend reads MEDI·DVCAT·VENET, identifying the denomination as the Mezzo (half) Ducato of Venice. |
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| Reverse lettering | MEDI·DVCAT·VENET |
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| Additional information |
Alvise Mocenigo IV served as Doge from 1763 until his death in 1778, but this denomination was struck only through 1774, when Venice undertook a monetary reform that suppressed several silver fractional types. The half ducato occupied an awkward position in Venetian trade silver — large enough to matter in domestic accounts, but increasingly marginal against the heavier tallero denominations that dominated Adriatic commerce by the mid-eighteenth century.
Venice's mint, the Zecca, was by this period operating well below its earlier output. State finances were under sustained pressure from the cost of maintaining neutrality during successive European conflicts, and the reduction in silver coinage types after 1774 reflects that squeeze directly.