Muraiola of 4 Baiocchi - Benedict XIV

Benedict XIV authorized this billon issue during a period of active monetary reform across the Papal States, part of his broader effort to rationalize a coinage system that had accumulated decades of inconsistent local issues. The muraiola denomination itself was a legacy of the smaller fractional coinage tradition in central Italy, kept alive largely because petty commerce in Rome and the Legations demanded low-value specie that silver alone was too expensive to supply.

The two-year window of production, 1747–1748, likely reflects a targeted emission rather than continuous striking — a one-time injection to address circulation shortfalls rather than a standing mint order.