Scudo (coin)
Scudo (plural: Scudi ) is the name of various currencies . The name is derived from the Italian word for shield .
history
Originally Italian coins were called Scudi, which were minted with a coat of arms (Italian: scudo) as a mint mark. Originally the first time in Genoa dominated, they were close to the French Écu of Francis I ajar.
Gold scudi (Scudi d'oro) were minted between 1350 and 1800 . The Scudo of the Papal States was coined to 1866 and then from the lira replaced. They replaced the Fiorino d'oro in Florence in 1530 and contained 3.2 grams of gold. They were hardly important for payment transactions and were mainly minted as show coins for representational purposes and with a high face value.
During the 16th century, silver scudi (Scudo d'argento) achieved particular popularity and importance. These were mostly large coins that were comparable to the German thaler . In the Austrian possessions of Lombardy and Veneto, the Scudo was equivalent to a convention thaler . Coins with this designation were minted in various territories and city-states (such as Ancona , Bergamo , Bologna , Florence, Genoa , Lucca , Mantua , Milan , Modena , Turin and Venice ) in northern and central Italy (Papal States until 1866) until the 19th century .
The Italian Scudo corresponds to the name Escudo , which is traditionally widespread in the Portuguese- speaking countries ( the name of the national currency of Portugal until the introduction of the Euro ).
- Images of various Scudo coins
Silver Scudo, Pope Pius IX.
Scudo 1853 from the Papal States
Two and a half scudi 1858 from the Papal States
Today's Scudi coins
Scudi coins are still issued today by the Republic of San Marino and the Sovereign Order of Malta . However, the coins are not issued for payment transactions, but exclusively as collector coins.
San Marino
In accordance with the currency agreement between the Italian Republic - on behalf of the European Community - and the Republic of San Marino, San Marino has been using the euro as the official currency since January 1st, 2002 and issuing its own euro coins. However, the agreement expressly leaves San Marino the right to continue to issue gold coins denominated in Scudi . San Marino has made use of this right and has been issuing gold coins in Scudi denominations since 2002. The Scudi currency is not convertible. In terms of their alloy and size, the 2-Scudi gold coins correspond to the 20-euro commemorative coins, which in turn follow the requirements of the Latin Monetary Union for the 20-franc coins, as do the 50-euro commemorative coins for the 50-franc coins Coins. The following fictitious conversion rate to gold can be derived from this:
2 scudi = 200/31 grams of gold ≈ 6.4516 grams of gold with a fineness of 0.900 (almost 1/5 troy ounce )
For a 2 Scudi coin issued in 2012, the issuing office specified an exchange rate of 75 euros. This rate is also fictitious, as it is on the one hand well below the material value and on the other hand well above the issue price.
Order of Malta
The Order of Malta only issues coins in Scudi currency. Some of the denominations of the coins are shown in sub-units of the Scudi; it corresponds to 1 Scudo = 12 Tari = 240 Grani. The currency is not convertible. According to the information provided by the issuing office, the following exchange rate applies to the euro: 1 scudo = 0.24 euros, 1 tari = 0.02 euros. However, the following fictitious conversion rates can be derived from the precious metal content of the coin issues of the Order:
1 Scudo = 12 grams of silver with a fineness of 0.986
5 scudi = 4 grams of gold with a fineness of 0.900
literature
- Carlo M. Cipolla: Money in Sixteenth-Century Florence. Berkeley / Los Angeles / London 1989.