The Venetian ducat and zecchino are an incomparable gift for a student who is about to graduate in history, archeology, cultural heritage, etc., or to any person who is passionate about antiques.
Zecchino, in Italian, is a powerful gold coin weighed 3.5 grams of pure gold, minted by the Republic of Venice in 1284. Initially called ducato, it was called the zecchino after the name of the Venetian mint, the "zecca". To buy an ancient gold zecchino, one of the most appreciated coins in the ancient world, means to buy a piece of the history of an ancient city and republic, so long renowned (for XII centuries) for its wealth, power, and commercial enterprise.
The Zecchino was the purest, most accurately measured gold coin in late medieval Europe and as such became the World's standard unit of currency for nearly half a millennium.
This coin was first created in the 13th century in Venice, the leading trading power of the day, in order to counteract the influence of the rival city of Florence and its gold coin, the florin. It portrays St Mark handing the banner of the Venetian city-state to the kneeling doge, as a sign that the ruler received his power from God. The ducatus, called zecchino since XVI sec., became the major currency of the eastern Mediterranean, and like many successful products it was also imitated in other countries, for example in the Hapsburg Empire, in Hungary, the Netherlands and in the Holy Roman Empire (medieval Germany). Shakespeare mentions it many times in "The Merchant of Venice," as well as in "Hamlet."
If you want to see an ancient gold zecchino visit my website or send an e-mail to sciretti.alberto@sciretti.it
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