Papal States (1679) giulio
This specimen was lot 57352 in Stack's Bowers NYINC sale (New York, January 2024), where it sold for $216. The catalog description[1] noted, "ITALY. Papal (States of the Church). Giulio, Year IV (1679). Rome Mint. Innocent XI. PCGS AU-55." The giulio was one tenth of a scudo. The reverse motto is from Psalms 36:16, "Better is a little to the just, than the great riches of the wicked." Wikipedia comments,
"Immediately upon his accession, Innocent XI turned all his efforts towards reducing the expenses of the Curia. He passed strict ordinances against nepotism among the cardinals. He lived very parsimoniously and exhorted the cardinals to do the same. In this manner he not only squared the annual deficit which at his accession had reached the sum of 170,000 scudi, but within a few years the papal income was even in excess of the expenditures."
Recorded mintage: unknown.
Specification: 2.69 g, 0.917 fine silver.
Catalog reference: Berman-2111, KM-405; MIR-2028/1.
- Berman, Allen G., Papal Coins, South Salem, NY: Attic Books, 1991.
- Cuhaj, George S., and Thomas Michael, Standard Catalog of World Coins, 1601-1700, 6th ed., Iola, WI: Krause Publications, 2014.
- Francesco Muntoni, Le Monete del Papi e Degli Stati Pontifici, 4 vols. Rome: P & P Santamaria, 1973.
- [1]Orsini, Matt, Kyle Ponterio and Jeremy Bostwick, January 2024 NYINC Auction, featuring the Emilio M Ortiz Collection and a Symphony of Russian Rarities, the Rothschild-Piatigorsky Collection, Costa Mesa, CA: Stack's Bowers Galleries, Inc., 2023.
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