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1 Ducat - Francesco Gonzaga
| Issuer | Castiglione Delle Stiviere (Italian States) |
|---|---|
| Year | 1609-1616 |
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| Shape | Round (irregular) |
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| Obverse description | Draped bust of Francesco Gonzaga facing right, depicted with curly hair and a short beard, wearing an elaborately ruffled collar and armored pauldron with striated detailing. The effigy is rendered in a high-relief Renaissance style typical of early seventeenth-century Italian hammered coinage. The circular Latin legend surrounds the portrait within a beaded border, reading FRAN D G PRINCEPS CASTIONI, identifying the ruler as Francesco by the grace of God, Prince of Castiglione. |
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| Reverse script | Latin |
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| Additional information |
Francesco Gonzaga of Castiglione delle Stiviere held the title of Prince of the Holy Roman Empire, a dignity granted to the family largely in recognition of Aloysius Gonzaga — Francesco's elder brother, canonized in 1726 but already venerated well before these ducats were struck. The tiny lordship had no real economic need for a gold coinage; the issue was almost certainly prestige-driven, asserting dynastic standing within the crowded hierarchy of northern Italian Imperial fiefs.
Castiglione's mint output was small by any measure, and surviving ducats from this reign are genuinely scarce in the market.