2 Lire - Francesco I 4th series

Francesco I de' Medici acceded to the Grand Duchy in 1574 following the death of Cosimo I, though his rule was marked more by alchemical obsession and court intrigue than administrative reform. The 4th series designation reflects successive die revisions under his reign — the MIR sequence for this type documents at least the CNI variants 42 through 50, suggesting sustained output from the Florentine mint across multiple die marriages. At 31 grams, this is a heavy silver piece by contemporary Italian standards, consistent with Tuscany's deliberate policy of maintaining heavier coinage to assert parity with major trading currencies of the period.