Rights Holder: The Portable Antiquities Scheme
CC License:
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Unique ID: OXON-B84019
Object type certainty: Certain
Workflow
status: Awaiting validation
A near complete and worn Medieval Venetian silver soldino of uncertain Doge dating between 1367-1486 AD. The coin's circumference has lots of very small chips.
Notes:
The soldino (plural 'soldini'), basically means the 'little shilling'. They were nicknamed the 'galyhalpens', or Galley-halfpence after the 'Galley-men' who imported them, though this is a slightly misleading name because not all coins came over by galley; contemporary documents also refer to money being sent overland to England via courier.
During the 15th and 16th centuries there was a serious shortage of English struck halfpennies in circulation, and so people turned to soldini to fill the gap. These coins contained slightly less silver than the English halfpenny and so the English government attempted to rid the country of them through a series of restrictions and seizures at various points in the 15th and 16th centuries.
The coins recorded on the PAS span the period 1382 to 1538, and show that there were two main incursions. The first was under Doge Michele Steno (1400-13), and the second was 100 years later under Doge Loredan (1501-1521).
Subsequent action after recording: Returned to finder
Broad period: MEDIEVAL
Period from: MEDIEVAL
Period to: MEDIEVAL
Date from: Exactly AD 1367
Date to: Exactly AD 1485
Quantity: 1
Thickness: 0.6 mm
Weight: 0.35 g
Diameter: 14.8 mm
Date(s) of discovery: Sunday 9th January 2022 - Sunday 9th January 2022
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Other reference: OMS receipt 2613
Primary material: Silver
Manufacture method: Struck or hammered
Completeness: Incomplete
Denomination: Soldino
Mint or issue place: Venice
Obverse description: Doge standing left, holding banner, star above uncertain letter (mintmark) in right field
Reverse description: Winged and nimbate lion of St Mark facing within a circle, holding book of gospels
Die axis measurement: 1 o'clock
No coin references available.
4 Figure: SP6104
Four figure Latitude: 51.73140368
Four figure longitude: -1.11813683
1:25K map: SP6104
1:10K map: SP60SW
Grid reference source: From finder
Unmasked grid reference accurate to a 1 metre square.
No references cited so far.