Papal Ducat

The Papal Ducat was often overstruck on older coins, recycling metal from defunct issues to keep the Vatican mint operational during lean times.

This practice meant that a single ducat might carry faint traces of its previous life, like a palimpsest in metal. Struck in gold of about 23.5 carats, these coins featured the pope's portrait on one side and religious symbols on the other, varying by pontiff and era. From 1600 to 1870, designs evolved with each papacy, though exact mintages for many years remain murky—records burned in various Roman fires over the centuries.

Not every ducat was a masterpiece; some showed the wear of hurried production. As for collectors, they've hunted these for the papal lineage they represent, but don't ask me to name every pope involved. After three decades, I've seen enough tiaras on coins to make one question the weight of history.