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1 Soldo - Filippo Maria Visconti Helmet
| Issuer | Duchy of Milan (Italian States) |
|---|---|
| Year | 1436-1440 |
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| Reference(s) | MIR#156 |
| Obverse description | Central device depicting the Visconti heraldic helmet in profile, surmounted by a crest featuring a serpent (biscione) and elaborate mantling radiating from the helm. Below the helmet, a shield bearing the Visconti biscione — a coiled serpent devouring a human figure — rendered in Gothic style characteristic of mid-15th century Milanese coinage. A small Visconti badge or device appears to the right of the shield in the field. The surrounding legend reads FILIP MARIA in Latin characters, separated by pellets, running along the inner border of the coin. |
|---|---|
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| Obverse lettering | FILIP MARIA |
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| Additional information |
Filippo Maria Visconti, the last Visconti duke, ruled Milan in a state of near-constant military anxiety — he was famously agoraphobic, rarely left the Castello, and conducted wars almost entirely through hired condottieri, most notably Francesco Sforza, who would ultimately marry his illegitimate daughter and displace the dynasty entirely. The helmet soldo issues of the late 1430s fall squarely within the period of his campaigns against Venice and Florence, when the duchy's finances were under considerable strain from mercenary payrolls.
MIR 156 is among the scarcer Visconti silver denominations to survive in collectible condition, given the intense circulation demands of the period.