1 Osella - Alvise Mocenigo II

The osella was an annual presentation coin distributed by the Doge each New Year to members of the Venetian Senate, replacing the live birds — osellle — previously given as gifts. Gold examples were reserved for foreign dignitaries and heads of state; senators received silver. A gold survivor from 1704 almost certainly passed through diplomatic channels rather than any ordinary treasury.

Alvise Mocenigo II's dogeship coincided with Venice's grinding final years in the War of the Spanish Succession, during which the Republic maintained its characteristic studied neutrality while its commercial position eroded from every direction. The 1704 osella was struck the same year Marlborough won at Blenheim.