Agostino Barbarigo's reign as Doge coincided with one of Venice's most pressured periods on the eastern Mediterranean — the Ottoman wars had drained the treasury, and the loss of Negroponte a decade earlier still reverberated through Venetian commerce. The bagattino was the lowest denomination in circulation, a coin that passed through the hands of gondoliers and market vendors rather than merchants, and billon was the practical ceiling for its production cost.
Dies for this type were cut with minimal care, and striking quality varies sharply across the fifteen-year issue window.
Agostino Barbarigo's reign as Doge coincided with one of Venice's most pressured periods on the eastern Mediterranean — the Ottoman wars had drained the treasury, and the loss of Negroponte a decade earlier still reverberated through Venetian commerce. The bagattino was the lowest denomination in circulation, a coin that passed through the hands of gondoliers and market vendors rather than merchants, and billon was the practical ceiling for its production cost.
Dies for this type were cut with minimal care, and striking quality varies sharply across the fifteen-year issue window.