1 Osella - Alvise Mocenigo III

The osella was never legal tender in any conventional sense — it began as a gift of wild ducks (uccelli) presented annually by the Doge to members of the Venetian Senate, a tradition monetized in the late sixteenth century when the birds were replaced with struck silver pieces. By Mocenigo III's tenure, the annual gold issues had become instruments of political patronage, distributed to patricians as calculated displays of ducal largesse rather than circulating currency. They were kept, not spent.

Mocenigo III served as Doge from 1722 to 1732, a period of studied Venetian neutrality as the surrounding powers maneuvered toward the War of the Polish Succession.