1/2 Piastra - Cosimo I

Cosimo I received the title of Grand Duke of Tuscany from Pope Pius V in 1569 — a designation contested furiously by the Holy Roman Emperor Maximilian II, who regarded the elevation as an affront to imperial authority over Italian territories. The grand ducal coinage issued in the years immediately following that grant was, in part, a deliberate assertion of the new rank. Coins bearing the grand ducal titles circulated as political documents as much as exchange media.

MIR 167/2 distinguishes this half piastra within a series of closely related dies; collectors should verify the specific reverse die variant against Corpus references before cataloging.