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1 Testone - Innocent XI MELIVS EST DARE QVAM ACCIPERE
| Issuer | Papal States |
|---|---|
| Year | 1684-1689 |
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| Weight | 9.18 g |
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| Obverse description | Central field occupied by the stemmed papal coat of arms of Pope Innocent XI (Benedetto Odescalchi), displaying a quartered shield bearing an eagle displayed in chief and a lion passant in base, surmounted by the papal tiara and crossed keys, all within an ornate frame flanked by symmetrical olive branches tied at the base. The encircling Latin legend reads INNOCENTIVS XI PONT MAX, separated by pellet stops, running along the inner border of a milled rim. |
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| Reverse lettering | MELIVS EST·DARE QVAM ACCIPERE (Translation: It is better to give than to receive) |
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| Additional information |
Innocent XI — Benedetto Odescalchi — was elected in 1676 after a conclave that lasted nearly five weeks, the cardinals deadlocked over French interference. He proved to be one of the most fiscally austere popes of the century, abolishing the sale of offices and refusing nepotism so rigidly that his own relatives received nothing from his papacy. The motto on this testone, drawn from Acts 20:35, was not decorative piety — it was a governing philosophy, and contemporaries noted the pointed irony of a pope who genuinely meant it.
His reign coincided with the 1683 Ottoman siege of Vienna, which he helped finance and politically orchestrate. He died in 1689 and was beatified in 1956.