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1 écu d'or - Besso Ferrero Fieschi
| Issuer | Masserano |
|---|---|
| Year | 1581 |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | 1 Gold Scudo (140) |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| Diameter | Log in to see details |
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| Obverse description | Log in to see details |
|---|---|
| Obverse script | Log in to see details |
| Obverse lettering | BESSVS FER FL MAR MESSERAN |
| Reverse description | Within a beaded inner circle, a large floriated cross with fleur-de-lis terminals at each arm occupies the central field, its four arms linked by foliate and twisted vine ornaments that fill the angles of the cross. The circular legend SOLI * DEO * HONOR * ET * GLORIA, introduced by a floral ornament, runs around the periphery between the beaded inner border and the irregular hammered edge. The deeply struck fleur-de-lis cross is a devotional motif reflecting the piety customary on Italian Renaissance principality coinage of the period. |
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| Additional information |
Masserano was a tiny imperial fief in Piedmont controlled by the Fieschi family, who exploited their status as immediate vassals of the Holy Roman Emperor to exercise coinage rights largely independent of Savoy's interference. Besso Ferrero Fieschi issued this écu in 1581 at a moment when small north Italian lords were under increasing pressure from both Spanish Milan and the Duke of Savoy to surrender or formally justify their minting privileges.
MIR 733/1 is among the rarer documented gold issues from the Masserano series — the fief's output was never large, and gold denominations were struck in quantities that make survivors genuinely scarce.