Catalog
2 Soldi
| Issuer | Ionian Islands, Venetian rule in the (1363-1797) |
|---|---|
| Year | 1710-1797 |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| Orientation | Coin alignment ↑↓ |
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| Obverse description | Log in to see details |
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| Reverse description | The reverse bears a three-line Latin inscription arranged horizontally across the central field, naming the three principal Ionian Islands under Venetian administration. A decorative rosette ornament appears above and below the inscription, framing the text within the coin's circular border. The legends read CORFU on the first line, CEPHALONIA on the second, and ZANTE on the third, representing the administrative territories for which this coinage was issued. |
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| Mintage | ND (1710-1797) |
| Additional information |
The Ionian Islands operated under a distinct Venetian administrative structure — the Provveditori system — that granted them considerable local autonomy, including the right to issue their own copper coinage for small transactions. This 2 Soldi type served the everyday commerce of islands like Corfu, Cephalonia, and Zante across nearly a century of continuous issue, an unusually long run that accounts for the considerable variation in die quality seen across surviving examples.
Venice's grip on the Ionians ended not through Ottoman conquest, as had long been feared, but by French decree following Bonaparte's dissolution of the Republic in 1797.