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1 Zecchino - Leopoldo II
| Issuer | Zecca di Firenze (Florence Mint) |
|---|---|
| Year | 1824-1853 |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
| Weight | 3.452 g |
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| Obverse description | Log in to see details |
|---|---|
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| Obverse lettering | LEOPOLDVS II· D·G·A·A·M·D·ETR· N· |
| Reverse description | Saint John the Baptist, patron saint of Florence, is depicted three-quarter facing in a dynamic seated pose, his body largely unclothed and draped only at the waist, consistent with traditional iconography. He raises his right hand in a gesture of blessing while his left hand holds a tall cross-staff; foliage and rocky ground elements appear at his feet. The circular Latin legend S. IOANNES BAPTISTA· surrounds the figure, and the date 1832 appears in the exergue below. |
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| Additional information |
The Florentine zecchino survived into the nineteenth century largely on institutional inertia — Venetian sequins had set the commercial standard for Mediterranean gold coinage since the thirteenth century, and Tuscan merchants expected the type. Leopoldo II, the last Grand Duke to reign before Tuscany's absorption into unified Italy, minted these across nearly three decades of Austrian-backed rule that was interrupted only by the revolutionary upheaval of 1848–1849, when he briefly fled to Gaeta before being restored by Austrian troops.
The .998 fineness held to a purity standard that predated the coin by centuries — the zecchino's commercial value depended on that consistency above all else.