Petachina / Sesino

The sesino emerged as Genoa's response to a chronic shortage of small-denomination coinage in the early fourteenth century, when the republic's explosive commercial growth had outpaced the supply of fractional silver in local circulation. Billon — debased silver alloyed heavily with copper — was the pragmatic solution, allowing the mint to stretch limited bullion across a higher volume of struck pieces.

The MEC XII references place surviving specimens across a notably wide die range, suggesting sustained production across the full three-decade window rather than concentrated campaigns.