Costanzo Sforza ruled Pesaro as a papal vicar, a status that technically subordinated his coinage authority to Rome but in practice gave him near-total control over the city's mint. The soldino was the workhorse denomination of northern Italian commerce in this period — small, frequently clipped, and perpetually underweight in circulation. Costanzo's issues are notable for their tight production window: he died in 1483 without a legitimate heir, and Pesaro passed to Giovanni Sforza, whose own coinage broke sharply from this series.
Costanzo Sforza ruled Pesaro as a papal vicar, a status that technically subordinated his coinage authority to Rome but in practice gave him near-total control over the city's mint. The soldino was the workhorse denomination of northern Italian commerce in this period — small, frequently clipped, and perpetually underweight in circulation. Costanzo's issues are notable for their tight production window: he died in 1483 without a legitimate heir, and Pesaro passed to Giovanni Sforza, whose own coinage broke sharply from this series.