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2 Zecchini - Clemente XII
| Issuer | Papal States |
|---|---|
| Year | 1731-1739 |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| Diameter | 25 mm |
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| Obverse description | Central field depicts a radiant figure of Christ enthroned upon clouds in Baroque high relief, facing slightly left, holding the Keys of Saint Peter in the left hand and a small chapel or lantern in the right hand, with a nimbus of radiating rays encircling the head. Below the central figure, the papal tiara and crossed keys emblem appears at the base. The encircling Latin legend CLEMENS · XII PONT · M · AN · II is divided on either side of the central composition, with ornate milled edge bordering the coin. |
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| Reverse script | Latin |
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| Additional information |
Clemente XII — Lorenzo Corsini — was nearly eighty years old and completely blind by the time most of these pieces were struck, governing through a network of nephews and curial officials who wielded the real administrative power. His pontificate is better remembered for the construction of the Trevi Fountain's redesign commission and the first papal condemnation of Freemasonry, issued in 1738. The zecchino remained the prestige gold unit of the Papal States, its .999 fineness maintained as a deliberate signal of monetary reliability at a moment when European debasement was widespread.
The two-year spread across MIR#2480 and MIR#2486 suggests at least two distinct emission types within the reign.