Catalog
39 Scudi
| Issuer | Sacro Monte della Pietà di Roma |
|---|---|
| Year | 1792 |
| Type | Standard circulation banknote |
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| Obverse description | Letterpress-printed cedola (certificate note) in black on plain paper, enclosed within a rectangular border of typographic ornamental rules. The issuer's name S. MONTE DELLA PIETÀ DI ROMA is set in large display type across the upper portion, with the denomination TRENTANOVE appearing in an oval cartouche at centre, flanked by rows of typographic guilloche ornaments. The text body states the obligation to pay the bearer in Roman Scudi at ten giulj per Scudo, valid throughout the Papal States (Vaglia per tutto lo STATO ECCLESIASTICO), with manuscript register and number entries, countersignatures, and an additional manuscript date at upper left. |
|---|---|
| Obverse lettering | 39 PRIMO FESNARO MILLE SETTECENTO NOVANTADUE S. MONTE DELLA PIETA' DI ROMA La presente Cedola vale Scudi Romani Trentanove da giulj Dieci per Scudo da pagarsi all' Esibitore Registro Num. Vaglia per tutto lo STATO ECCLESIASTICO |
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| Comments |
The Sacro Monte della Pietà di Roma was one of the oldest pawnbroking institutions in Europe, established in 1539 under papal authority to provide credit to the poor as an alternative to usurious moneylenders. By the late eighteenth century it had evolved into a quasi-banking operation, issuing fedi di credito — transferable bearer receipts — that circulated as de facto paper currency in Rome. These were not banknotes in the modern sense but notarial instruments, handwritten or partially printed, endorsed across the back as they changed hands.
The 39-scudi denomination is an odd figure, almost certainly reflecting a specific deposit or loan transaction rather than a round monetary unit designed for general circulation.