1 Zecchino - Leonardo Donà

Leonardo Donà (or Donato) became Doge in 1606 during one of the most serious constitutional crises in Venetian history: Pope Paul V placed the entire Republic under interdict that same year, forbidding the sacraments across Venetian territory. Venice refused to submit, expelled the Jesuits, and — uniquely among Catholic states — called the interdict's bluff. The standoff lasted over a year before Spain brokered a face-saving compromise. Zecchini struck under Donà carry the quiet authority of a state that had just stared down Rome.

The Venetian zecchino maintained its .999 fineness with extraordinary consistency across centuries, making it a trusted trade coin from the Levant to the Baltic. Individual doges' issues are distinguished primarily by the name in the legend.