2 1/2 Baiocchi - Pius VI Large bust

Pius VI faced the worst crisis of his pontificate in 1796, when Napoleon's army swept through northern Italy and the pope was forced to sign the Armistice of Bologna, ceding territory and paying an indemnity of 21 million scudi. Provincial mints like Viterbo were still striking copper coinage that year, though the papal financial system was already collapsing under French pressure. Viterbo's output was modest at the best of times.

The "large bust" designation distinguishes this from a concurrent small-bust variety — a die modification rather than a separate issue, but catalogued separately given the measurable difference in relief and bust proportion.