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1 Testone - Urban VIII S. Peter seated, oval shield
| Issuer | Papal States |
|---|---|
| Year | 1632-1633 |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| Shape | Round |
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| Obverse description | Log in to see details |
|---|---|
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| Reverse description | Saint Peter enthroned in three-quarter view, seated facing left on an elaborate chair or throne, wearing papal vestments and a halo; his raised right hand holds a large key, while his left hand grasps a book resting on his knee. A second key is visible near the base of the throne. The date 1632 appears in the exergue below the throne. The peripheral legend is divided by small stars and runs continuously around the figure within a beaded border. |
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| Mintage | 1632 - A. VIII - 1633 - A. VIII - |
| Additional information |
Urban VIII — born Maffeo Barberini — was elected in 1623 and proved one of the more politically aggressive pontiffs of the seventeenth century, famously backing France against the Habsburgs during the Thirty Years' War while simultaneously fortifying the Castel Sant'Angelo and expanding the Papal Army. The testone was the workhorse denomination of the papal monetary system, and the 1632–33 dating places this coin squarely within the period of the Castro War's buildup, when Urban was quietly accumulating resources and territorial leverage against the Farnese.
Berman 1721 distinguishes at least five die marriages across this type, catalogued under MIR 1705/1–5.