1 Scudo d'Oro - Paul III Sword downward

Paul III — born Alessandro Farnese — secured his papacy in part through decades of political maneuvering that included a long tenure as a cardinal despite having fathered four illegitimate children before taking holy orders. By the time this scudo was struck, he had already convened the Council of Trent in 1545, the Church's formal response to Lutheran reform. The sword downward type is one of several die variants cataloged across Berman and MIR, with the orientation of the sword distinguishing emission groups that likely correspond to different phases of his mint's output in the final years of his pontificate — Paul III died in November 1549.