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Sesino - Vespasiano I Gonzaga
| Issuer | Sabbioneta, Duchy of |
|---|---|
| Year | 1562-1591 |
| Type | Standard circulation coin |
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| Obverse description | Draped bust of Vespasiano I Gonzaga facing left, occupying the central field within a beaded border. The effigy is rendered in the Renaissance portrait style typical of northern Italian hammered coinage of the late sixteenth century. A circular Latin legend surrounds the bust, interrupted by decorative stops. |
|---|---|
| Obverse script | Latin |
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| Additional information |
Vespasiano I Gonzaga founded Sabbioneta from essentially nothing — a small fortified town in the Po plain that he spent decades building into a miniature ideal city, complete with a theatre, a ducal palace, and a mint. The mint was authorized by imperial privilege from Philip II of Spain, under whose protection Vespasiano operated, and it struck a remarkable range of denominations for a domain that measured only a few square kilometers.
The sesino, a low-value billon piece, circulated locally alongside coins from Mantua and Milan in a region where small change was perpetually scarce.