zecchino

The zecchino, the currency of the Maritime Republic of Venice

The zecchino is a gold coin from Venice characterized by the same weight and fineness as the fiorino from Florence. It was minted starting from 1284 under the Doge Giovanni Dandolo; the gold content was approximately 3.5 grams. Sul dritto compare il doge inginocchiato davanti a San mark, mentre sul rovescio è raffigurato Cristo entro la mandorla.

Initially known as the ducat, the coin began to be called zecchino with Doge Francesco Venier, in the 16th century, for the reference to the mint of Venice. Previously, under Enrico Dandolo, silver ducats had already been minted, grossi with Saint Mark and the doge on one side and Christ enthroned on the other.

Given the very high purity of the gold contained in zecchino (997‰), the term "zecchino gold" has remained in common use to indicate particularly pure gold. In Venice, at the beginning of the 17th century, a silver zecchino worth 10 lire was also minted.

Gold coins similar to the Venetian zecchino were also minted in many other Italian and European mints. At the end of the Republic, the zecchino was still issued by the Austrians with Emperor Francis II, but replacing the Venetian iconography with the emperor's head and crowned double-headed eagle.