Grosso of 10 Denari

Parma's grosso emerged from the same broad monetary reform impulse that swept the Po Valley communes in the mid-thirteenth century, as northern Italian city-states scrambled to produce a heavier silver denomination capable of sustaining long-distance trade without the cumulative friction of counting out fistfuls of small denari. The dating range here spans Parma's most turbulent political generations — the city changed hands repeatedly between Guelph and Ghibelline factions, was briefly dominated by Ezzelino da Romano's network of alliances, and endured imperial pressure under Frederick II, who besieged it in 1247, just one year before this type's first issue.

The MIR 904 classification covers a type with known die variations across the long production run.