1/2 Scudo d'Oro - Innocent XIII

Innocent XIII reigned for less than three years — elected in May 1721 and dead by March 1724 — making his pontificate one of the shortest of the eighteenth century and his coinage among the scarcest of the period. This half scudo dates to his final year, struck just months before his death from a chronic abdominal condition that had plagued him since before his election. The Rome mint produced papal gold in comparatively small runs even under long-reigning pontiffs; under Innocent XIII, total output across all denominations was severely curtailed.

Berman 2517 is the sole recorded variety for this type.