Catalog
See full images - free registration
Continue with Google - no registration!
or register with email
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!
1 Ducato `Ongaro` - Agostino Spinola Austria coat of arms
| Issuer | County of Tassarolo (Italian States) |
|---|---|
| Year | 1604-1616 |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | 1 Ducat (1 Ducato) (2) |
| 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 | Crowned double-headed Imperial eagle displayed, with wings spread, bearing on its breast an oval shield charged with the horizontal bars of the Austrian coat of arms. The eagle's two heads face outward and are surmounted by a single Imperial crown. The circular Latin legend AVGVSTINVS * SPI * COMES * TAS surrounds the design. The composition closely follows the Hungarian ducat (Ongaro) type and reflects the Spinola family's Imperial connections. The coin is struck on an irregular hammered flan typical of the period. |
| Reverse script | Log in to see details |
| Reverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Edge | Plain |
| Mint | Log in to see details |
| Mintage | Log in to see details |
| Additional information |
The Spinola family obtained the right to strike coinage at Tassarolo — a tiny fief in the Ligurian Apennines — through imperial grant from the Habsburgs, which explains the Austrian arms on the reverse. Agostino Spinola was among the most politically connected of the Genoese banking aristocracy during this period, with Spinola family capital underwriting Spanish military operations in the Low Countries throughout the Twelve Years' Truce negotiations.
The "Ongaro" designation indicates this was struck to the Hungarian ducat standard, a deliberate choice to facilitate acceptance in northern European trade circuits rather than purely local exchange. MIR 960 notes the type across multiple die pairings within the 1604–1616 window.