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Papal States 4 Soldi
Item number: A18
Year: AD 1723
Manufactured by: Monetazione pontificia
Material: Copper
Provenance: Fuchin Coin 2023
This coin originates from the world’s smallest sovereign state, Vatican City, and was issued as a copper coin by the predecessor, the Papal States, before the year AD 1868. The obverse features a left-profile portrait of Pope Pius IX, the reigning Catholic Pope at the time. Surrounding the portrait are Latin inscriptions indicating Pius IX (PIVS · IX), Supreme Pontiff (PONT · MAX), and the twenty-first year of his papacy (ANN · XXI).
On the reverse, the central inscription denotes the denomination Four Soldi, with the “R” symbol representing the minting location, Rome. Above the inscription is the Latin name of the Papal States, and below is another denomination of the coin 20Centesimi. According to the currency conversion system of the Papal States, one Soldo could be exchanged for five Centesimi.
Upon assuming the position of Pope in the year AD 1846, Pius IX faced the formidable challenge of the burgeoning Italian unification movement. In the year AD 1870, following the loss of protection from France, the Papal States’ capital, Rome, was conquered by the Kingdom of Italy, marking the culmination of the peninsula’s unification. The Pope then retreated to the Vatican Palace in the northwest corner of Rome, becoming known as the “Prisoner of the Vatican.” It wasn’t until the year AD 1929, during the papacy of Pius XI, that the Lateran Treaty was signed with the Italian dictator Mussolini. This treaty established the sovereignty of the Vatican City within Rome, solidifying its status as the world’s smallest sovereign state, Vatican City.