File:Papal States c1513 2-5 ducati obv H3029-30174.jpg

This specimen was lot 30174 in Heritage sale 3029 (New York, January 2014), where it sold for $44,062.50. The catalog description^[1] noted, "Amazing Papal Rarity Papal States. Pope Leone X gold 2.5 Ducati ND (1513-21), Rome mint, Fr-43, Ber-628, Montuni I, 1, CNI-1, MS62 NGC. The earliest of the small group of Renaissance Papal gold coins and a seldom offered rarity. The obverse displays a bust of Pope Leone facing left, while the reverse shows the three Magi on horseback, riding left, guided by the comet. There are no significant flaws, and traces of luster remain. Leo X was the son of Lorenzo de Medici, head of the Florentine Republic. He was destined for an important ecclesiastical career from an early age, and formally admitted to the College of Cardinals at age 17, in 1492. He was elected Pope in 1513 after the death of Julius II. Pope Leo spent heavily and caused a financial crisis in the Vatican, but much of this money went to rebuild, and refurbish, Saint Peter's Basilica. His tenure was also marked by the beginning of the Reformation. Ex: "Colonel" E.H.R. Green; Green Estate' Partnership of Eric P Newman / B.G. Johnson."