Catalog
140 Scudi
| Issuer | S. Monte della Pietà di Roma |
|---|---|
| Year | 1788 |
| Type | Standard circulation banknote |
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| Obverse description | Log in to see details |
|---|---|
| Obverse lettering | 140 QUINDICI GENNARO MILLE SETTECENTO OTTANTOTTO S. MONTE DELLA PIETA' DI ROMA La presente Cedola vale Scudi Romani Centoquaranta da giulj Dieci per Scudo da pagarsi all' Esibitore Registro N° Vaglia per tutto lo STATO ECCLESIASTICO |
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| Reverse lettering | 140 |
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| Comments |
The Monte di Pietà in Rome was among the oldest pawnbroking institutions in Europe, established in 1539 under papal authority to provide credit to the poor as an alternative to usurious private lenders. By the late eighteenth century it had evolved into something closer to a deposit and lending bank, issuing these high-denomination fedi di credito — essentially transferable credit certificates — as a form of fiduciary money circulating among Rome's merchant and clerical classes.
At 140 scudi, this is an odd denomination by any standard. The Monte issued notes in irregular face values tied to specific deposit transactions rather than a rationalized denomination ladder, which means each note was in some sense unique to its original issuance event.