2 Fiorini di Camera - Julius II

Julius II financed much of his pontificate — including the construction of the new St. Peter's Basilica and the commissioning of Michelangelo for the Sistine Chapel ceiling — through aggressive fiscal policy, including the sale of indulgences and the manipulation of papal currency. The Fiorino di Camera was the prestige gold denomination of the papal mint, struck to a high fineness standard that made it acceptable across Italian trade networks as hard currency rather than mere ecclesiastical token.

Julius dissolved the Borgia-era mint practices almost immediately upon his election in November 1503, restructuring output at Rome under tighter controls. Berman 558 distinguishes this type from closely related issues by the papal keys arrangement — a detail that collapses under wear and makes precise attribution on circulated examples genuinely difficult.