Charles Emmanuel II ruled Savoy under a regency until 1663, his mother Christine of France holding effective power through much of this coin's production window. The duchy's billon small change of this period was chronically debased, a pattern common across northern Italian states competing to retain enough silver content to pass in trade while hemorrhaging bullion to heavier foreign coins.
KM#245 is the third of three distinct type classifications for this denomination under Charles Emmanuel II, the variations driven by successive adjustments to the design rather than any single administrative reform.
Charles Emmanuel II ruled Savoy under a regency until 1663, his mother Christine of France holding effective power through much of this coin's production window. The duchy's billon small change of this period was chronically debased, a pattern common across northern Italian states competing to retain enough silver content to pass in trade while hemorrhaging bullion to heavier foreign coins.
KM#245 is the third of three distinct type classifications for this denomination under Charles Emmanuel II, the variations driven by successive adjustments to the design rather than any single administrative reform.