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| Issuer | Papal States - Bologna Mint |
|---|---|
| Year | 1533-1534 |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | 1/2 Scudo |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| Obverse description | Central field displays the crowned Medici arms — a shield bearing six roundels (balls) arranged in the traditional Medici family pattern — surmounted by the papal tiara and crossed keys of Saint Peter, the emblems of the Holy See. The shield is rendered in a heraldic style typical of Renaissance Italian papal coinage. A beaded inner border frames the central device, with the legend distributed around the periphery. The overall composition is characteristic of the hammered gold coinage struck at Bologna under Clement VII. |
|---|---|
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| Reverse script | Latin |
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| Additional information |
Clement VII — born Giulio de' Medici — issued this coin during one of the most politically fractured periods of his papacy. The 1533–34 dating places it after the catastrophic Sack of Rome in 1527, when imperial troops devastated the city and held Clement prisoner in Castel Sant'Angelo for months. The Bologna mint was specifically reactivated for papal coinage during this period partly because Rome's institutional infrastructure had been so thoroughly disrupted.
Bologna itself held particular significance: it was the city where Clement met Charles V in 1530 to crown him Holy Roman Emperor — the last papal imperial coronation ever performed.