MARCHESINO: COIN OF FERRARA
Marchesino, 1393-1441: Marquisate of Ferrara (Italy)
Ruler: Niccolò III d'Este — Marquess of Ferrara from 1393 until 1441. He was also a condottiero: Italian local military leader.
DE FERARI: of Ferrara. The inscription is divided by an empty (free of the eagle) heraldic shield of Ferrara.
Gothic A in the center of the entire coin design (meaning unknown; used on many Italian coins from the 12th century) surrounded by 4 large pellets. This motif was borrowed from another Italian (Bolognese) coin — bolognino.
NICHOL MAR (the letter N is made in the so-called retrograde /reverse/ style: in the format И): Marquis Niccolo. The inscription is divided by an eagle from the heraldic shield of Ferrara.
In the center is the inscription CHIO, stylized as a cross (similar to the arrangement of other letters in bolognino coin).
The inscriptions on the obverse and reverse of the marchesino together form the name and title of the ruler: "Niccolo — Marquis of Ferrara" (Marquisate of Ferrara from 1471 became the Duchy of Ferrara).
By the way, the marchesino of the Marquis Niccolò II d'Este is as similar as possible to the marchesino of Niccolò III d'Este both in legend and design. Only barely noticeable differences allow us to correctly attribute one or another coin. To be honest, I am not sure that I am not mistaken.
- Silver: 18 mm - 1.13 g
- Reference price: 87$
COIN MARCHESINO — WHERE & WHEN (coins catalog: by names & emitents)
- MARQUISATE OF FERRARA, ITALY (14th-15th centuries): marchesino = 12 ferrarino = 1/20 scudo
MARCHESINO as coin name.
Marchesino or marchesano — historical silver coin of the Marquisate of Ferrara, in northern Italy.
It was issued approximately during the 14th-15th centuries as a variant of the bolognino (some sources indicate this), but it would be more accurate to say that it was modeled after it. The equality of the marchesino to the soldo is also mentioned.
During this period, the design of the coin as a whole remained unchanged (a large Gothic letter "A" of unknown meaning on the obverse — exactly like the prototype from Bologna): only the names of the rulers changed a few times. Thus, we know of marchesino with the names of the rulers (marquises) Niccolo II, Alberto V, Niccolo III, Leonello, which at first glance are identical. All of them were representatives of the Italian House of Este (one of the oldest princely families in Italy), the center of which was located in the Castello Estense in Ferrara.
The name of the coin marchesino is a reflection of the issuer — Marquisate of Ferrara (also indicated the name of the ruler with the prefix "marquess").
By the way, another local coin with the etymology of the name of the same nature (with a reference to the name of the state) is known among numismatists — ferrarino (denaro). It seems that 12 denaro ferrarino were equal to 1 marchesino.
