12 Zecchini - Pietro Grimani

Pietro Grimani served as Doge from 1741 until his death in 1752, and the 12 Zecchini oselle was among the most prestigious presentation pieces the Venetian mint produced — struck not for commerce but as diplomatic gifts and ducal largesse. By the mid-eighteenth century Venice was financially exhausted, its eastern trading empire reduced to a handful of contested outposts, yet the Republic continued commissioning these heavy gold multiples as performance of a sovereignty it could barely afford to project.

The zecchino itself took its name from the Zecca, the Venetian mint operating since the thirteenth century on the Piazzetta.