1/2 Soldo

Castiglione delle Stiviere was a tiny Imperial fief in the Gonzaga orbit, elevated to a principality in 1593 under Ferdinando Gonzaga — a man better remembered for founding the Order of the Redemption than for monetary policy. This copper issue belongs to his tenure, struck for a population that probably numbered in the low thousands and circulated within an area smaller than many modern municipalities. Local fiduciary coinage of this kind often filled gaps left by larger powers unwilling to bother with small denomination supply.