Catalog
Why register? Just to keep bots out of our catalog. Your email stays private - we will never share it or send you anything uninvited. We guarantee you that!
| Issuer | Duchy of Modena and Reggio |
|---|---|
| Year | 1737-1780 |
| Type | Standard circulation coin |
| Value | Log in to see details |
| 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 |
| Shape | Log in to see details |
| Technique | Log in to see details |
| Orientation | Log in to see details |
| Engraver(s) | Log in to see details |
| In circulation to | Log in to see details |
| Reference(s) | Log in to see details |
| Obverse description | Log in to see details |
|---|---|
| Obverse script | Log in to see details |
| Obverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Reverse description | The denomination BOLO / GNINO inscribed in two lines within an ornate baroque cartouche formed by scrolling foliate and strapwork decoration. The lettering is bold and deeply struck, surrounded by an elaborate decorative border that fills the coin's field to the rim. A beaded or dotted inner border frames the cartouche. The overall design is characteristic of the small copper issues of the Este duchy in the eighteenth century. |
| Reverse script | Log in to see details |
| Reverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Edge | Log in to see details |
| Mint | Log in to see details |
| Mintage | ND (1737-1780) |
| Additional information |
Francesco III d'Este ruled Modena for over four decades but spent much of that time deeply in debt, having mortgaged the duchy's finances through military adventures and an extravagant court. In 1753 he effectively sold his governorship services to Louis XV, administering the French province of Burgundy in exchange for a pension that helped prop up Modena's treasury. The bolognino — a denomination with roots stretching back to medieval Bologna — persisted in the Este monetary system largely out of practical necessity for small daily transactions, copper being cheap enough to produce in quantity without further straining ducal finances.