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130 Scudi
| Issuer | Sacro Monte della Pietà di Roma |
|---|---|
| Year | 1788 |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | 130 Scudi |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| Obverse description | Letterpress-printed cedola in black ink on plain paper, with a decorative typographic border enclosing the full text of the note. The issuer's name, S. MONTE DELLA PIETÀ DI ROMA, is set in large display type at centre, above the promise to pay the bearer Scudi Romani Centotrenta at ten giulj per scudo. The denomination figure 130 appears in a ruled cartouche at upper centre, with manuscript annotations, registrar's entries, and period endorsements filling the margins above and below the printed text. |
|---|---|
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| Reverse description | Log in to see details |
| Reverse lettering | 130 |
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| Comments |
The Sacro Monte della Pietà di Roma was one of the oldest pawnbroking institutions in Europe, established in 1539 under papal authority to provide low-interest loans to the poor as an alternative to usurious moneylenders. By the eighteenth century it had evolved into a significant deposit bank, issuing fede di credito — essentially bearer certificates — that circulated as de facto currency among merchants and the Roman nobility.
The 130 Scudi denomination is an odd figure, almost certainly reflecting the face value of a specific pledged asset rather than a round monetary unit, which points to this note's origins in collateralized lending rather than orthodox banking.