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1 Osella - Alvise Mocenigo IV Double Weight
| Issuer | Zecca (Venice Mint) |
|---|---|
| Year | 1772 |
| Type | Non-circulating coin |
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| Reverse description | The reverse bears a five-line Latin inscription within an unbordered field, encircled by a finely engraved laurel wreath tied at the base. The text reads ALOYSII MOCENICI PRINCIPIS MUNUS AN X / 1772 / M·A·T·, recording this as the tenth-year gift (munus) of Doge Alvise Mocenigo IV, with the date 1772 and the magistrates' initials M·A·T· below. The wreath is rendered with careful attention to leaf and berry detail, consistent with high-quality Venetian die-cutting of the period. The outer border features a milled edge pattern. The overall composition is formal and epigraphic in character, typical of the osella tradition. |
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| Edge | Plain |
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| Additional information |
The osella was never a coin in any commercial sense — it was an annual donative struck by the Venetian mint for the Doge to distribute to members of the Great Council each New Year, a tradition that had replaced an older custom of gifting live waterfowl (the word derives from uccella, bird). By the mid-eighteenth century these pieces had become objects of careful collection among the patriciate, with each year's issue tied directly to the sitting Doge's personal iconographic program.
Alvise Mocenigo IV held the dogeship from 1763 until his death in 1778. This double-weight striking — essentially two oselle fused into a single presentation piece — was a prestige variant produced in very small numbers, almost certainly reserved for the most senior recipients or foreign dignitaries.