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1/2 Scudo `Obses` Siege of Mantua
| Issuer | Duchy of Mantua (Italian States) |
|---|---|
| Year | 1630 |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | 1/2 Scudo |
| Currency | Log in to see details |
| 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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| Technique | Log in to see details |
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| Engraver(s) | Log in to see details |
| In circulation to | Log in to see details |
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| Obverse description | Log in to see details |
|---|---|
| Obverse script | Log in to see details |
| Obverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Reverse description | Log in to see details |
| Reverse script | Latin |
| Reverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Edge | Plain |
| Mint | Log in to see details |
| Mintage | Log in to see details |
| Additional information |
Mantua's 1630 siege was among the most catastrophic episodes of the Thirty Years' War on Italian soil. Imperial forces under Ferrante II Gonzaga had besieged the city, and the ducal mint — operating under desperate conditions — struck obsidional coinage from whatever debased metal was available. The word obses itself means hostage or pledge, a pointed declaration that the coin was backed by the city's future rather than its present reserves.
The plague that swept through Mantua concurrent with the siege killed an estimated two-thirds of the population. Coins struck in this window circulated in a city already collapsing.