1 Grosso - Benedict XIV St. Paul

Benedict XIV (Prospero Lambertini) was elected in 1740 after a conclave that deadlocked for six months — one of the longest of the 18th century. He proved an unusually pragmatic pope, negotiating concordats with several Catholic powers and loosening certain ecclesiastical restrictions that his predecessors had held firm. The grosso denomination by his pontificate was largely a prestige issue rather than a workhorse of commerce, the silver coinage of the Papal States having been progressively displaced in everyday transactions by billon and copper.

Berman 2758 is among the scarcer of his silver types.