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1 Osella - Carlo Contarini
| Issuer | Republic of Venice |
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| Year | 1655 |
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| Value | 1 Osella = 78 Soldi (3.9) |
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| Obverse description | St. Mark, enthroned and seated to left, extends a staff bearing a cross and pennant toward the kneeling Doge at right in an act of investiture. The scene is rendered in high relief in the baroque tradition typical of Venetian oselle. The mintmaster's initials appear in the exergue below the two figures. The surrounding field carries the Latin legend identifying the saint, the city, and the reigning doge. |
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| Obverse script | Log in to see details |
| Obverse lettering | S·M·VEN·CAROL·CONT·DVX F·C |
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| Additional information |
The osella was Venice's peculiar substitute for a New Year's gift — doges had traditionally distributed live waterfowl (uccelli, later contracted to oselle) to members of the Great Council, a practice formalized in coin form by Doge Leonardo Loredan in 1521. Each doge commissioned a unique die annually, making the series effectively a run of one-off medallic issues tied to a single reign. Carlo Contarini's tenure was short, lasting only from 1655 until his death later that same year, which sharply limits the number of oselle struck under his name.