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16 Scudi - Alexander VIII
| Issuer | Papal Mint |
|---|---|
| Year | 1690 |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | 16 Scudi |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
| Weight | Log in to see details |
| Diameter | Log in to see details |
| Thickness | Log in to see details |
| Shape | Log in to see details |
| Technique | Log in to see details |
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| In circulation to | Log in to see details |
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| Obverse description | Log in to see details |
|---|---|
| Obverse script | Log in to see details |
| Obverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Reverse description | A standing female figure, representing the Church or Faith, faces left in full-length draped robes, wearing a crown, and holds in her left hand a model of a classical temple or church building. In her right hand she grasps a tall papal staff or sceptre surmounted by an eagle with spread wings, from which hang two ornamental roundels or shields and a wreath. A papal tiara device appears at the base of the composition in the exergue, flanked by the date rendered in chronogram as CIↃIↃCXC (1690). The circumferential legend LEGIONE AD BELLVM SACRVM INSTRVCTA curves around the upper and right field, referring to the mustering of forces for the Holy War against the Ottoman Empire. The entire design is enclosed within a toothed border. |
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| Reverse lettering | LEGIONE AD BELLVM SACRVM INSTRVCTA CIↃIↃ CXC (Translation: Established Army for Holy War) |
| Edge | Log in to see details |
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| Additional information |
Alexander VIII — Pietro Ottoboni — was elected in 1689 at the age of 79, and the papal treasury wasted little time striking prestige gold in his name. The 16 Scudi was among the heaviest gold denominations produced by the Roman mint, essentially a parade piece demonstrating fiscal confidence at a moment when the papacy's temporal authority was under sustained pressure from Louis XIV's Gallican policies. Relations with Versailles had only just begun to thaw following the rupture over the *régale* controversy.
Munt#1 designation confirms this as the primary variety — later die states exist and are considerably scarcer.