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Maglia di Bianchetto - Giovanni IV Paleologo
| Issuer | Montferrat |
|---|---|
| Year | 1445-1464 |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
| Weight | 0.45 g |
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| Obverse description | Log in to see details |
|---|---|
| Obverse script | Latin |
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| Reverse description | A cross pattée occupies the central field, its splayed terminals clearly defined despite the irregular flan and characteristic wear of hammered billon coinage. The cross is rendered in a simple medieval style consistent with contemporary North Italian minor coinage. A circular beaded border frames the design, and the surrounding legend reads ✠ · MONTISFERATI in Latin, identifying the issuing lordship of Montferrat. |
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| Additional information |
Giovanni IV Paleologo ruled Montferrat as a minor under regency until 1445, and the maglia di bianchetto — a fractional billon piece of almost negligible intrinsic value — was the workhorse of small-scale local exchange in the Po plain during his reign. The Palaeologan dynasty had held Montferrat since 1306, a peculiar arrangement that placed a branch of the Byzantine imperial family in charge of a north Italian marquisate, with all the dynastic tension that entailed.
The CNI records notable variation across this type, with at least seven documented die combinations under the MIR#167 grouping.