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1 Testone - Innocent XI MELIVS EST DARE QVAM ACCIPERE
| Issuer | Papal States |
|---|---|
| Year | 1687 |
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| Shape | Round |
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| Obverse description | Elaborately rendered papal coat of arms of Pope Innocent XI (Benedetto Odescalchi) occupying the central field, featuring a shield divided into two registers bearing a lion passant above three goblets arranged in horizontal bands, surmounted by the papal tiara and crossed keys of Saint Peter, all flanked by ornate acanthus and foliate scrollwork. The composition is framed by a milled border. The circumferential legend, separated by pellet stops, reads INNOCEN·XI·PONT·M·A·XI·, identifying the pontiff by name, his title of Supreme Pontiff, and his eleventh regnal year. |
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| Obverse lettering | INNOCEN٠XI٠PONT٠M٠A٠XI٠ (Translation: Innocent 11th Supreme Pontiff Year 11) |
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| Additional information |
Innocent XI — Benedetto Odescalchi — was the driving financial force behind the Holy League that stopped the Ottoman advance at Vienna in 1683, personally funding much of the campaign when Catholic monarchs proved slow to contribute. His motto coinage, of which this testone is a late example, was issued in the years immediately following that victory, when his political standing in Europe was at its peak despite mounting friction with Louis XIV over Gallicanism and the right of asylum.
The motto translates roughly as "it is better to give than to receive" — a pointed self-reference from a pope whose reign was defined by extracting and redirecting wealth toward military and charitable ends.