Annibale Albani served as Camerlengo of the Holy Roman Church during the sede vacante following the death of Clement XII in February 1740, giving him the authority to issue coinage in the interim period before a new pope was elected. That conclave ran an unusually long six months, ending only in August with the election of Benedict XIV — meaning Albani's sede vacante issues circulated far longer than most interregnum coinage.
The extended vacancy gave the mint ample time to produce this type in quantity, which partly explains its relative accessibility today compared to shorter sede vacante issues from the same century.
Annibale Albani served as Camerlengo of the Holy Roman Church during the sede vacante following the death of Clement XII in February 1740, giving him the authority to issue coinage in the interim period before a new pope was elected. That conclave ran an unusually long six months, ending only in August with the election of Benedict XIV — meaning Albani's sede vacante issues circulated far longer than most interregnum coinage.
The extended vacancy gave the mint ample time to produce this type in quantity, which partly explains its relative accessibility today compared to shorter sede vacante issues from the same century.