SOLDINO: COIN OF CANDIA (VENETIAN CRETE)
Soldino, 1610: Kingdom of Candia (Crete as Venetian overseas colony)
Kingdom of Candia — official name of Crete (largest and most populous of the modern Greek islands) during the island's period as an overseas colony of the Republic of Venice in 1205-1667. It was one of the parts of the Stato da Màr (Republic of Venice's maritime and overseas possessions).
ND (no date).
SOLDINO.
Stars.
A winged lion holding the Gospel of Mark with its paw (symbol of Venice).
T 4: equality of 1 soldino to 4 tornesi.
- Copper: 20 mm - 2.18 g
- Reference price: 18$
COIN SOLDINO — WHERE & WHEN (coins catalog: by names & emitents)
- ITALY (14th-17th centuries) — Republic of Venice (including with colonial possessions — Kingdom of Candia), Republic of Genoa, Marquisate of Saluzzo...: soldino = 1/20 lira
- SWITZERLAND (15th-16th centuries) — Lordship of Mesocco, Old Swiss Confederacy, Bishopric of Lausanne...: soldino
SOLDINO (plural: soldini) as coin name.
Soldino — a small silver coin of the Venetian Republic during the 14th-16th centuries; was ¼ grosso or 8 denaro.
Soldini were also produced by Venice for the Kingdom of Candia (island of Crete) from copper in the 17th century. It is also known about several other issuers in the territory of modern Italy and Switzerland.
The first soldini weighed about 1 g and had an easily recognizable design: the image of the Lion of Saint Mark with nimbus, holding a banner with both claws (later — Lion holding St. Mark's Gospel under a paw as symbol of the city of Venice). The other side of the coin contained a scene of a kneeling doge with a banner in his hand. Over time, the weight of the soldino began to gradually decrease, until it reached the mark of 0.4 g. The appearance of the coin also underwent an evolution.
The name of the coin soldino, like soldo (to some extent soldini is a small soldo), clearly comes from the extremely common and authoritative Roman gold coin of the time solidus.
