Venetian Mezzo Scudo

The Mezzo Scudo's design featured the reigning Doge on one side, turning each coin into a portable record of Venice's ever-shifting leadership.

That meant every issue reflected a new election, with the Doge's portrait alongside the Lion of St. Mark. Struck in silver, likely from Alpine sources, these coins circulated from 1618 until Venice's fall in 1797. They were valued at half a scudo, roughly equivalent to a day's wage for a skilled artisan.

Exact mintage figures are lost to time—fires and wars saw to that. Variations exist, like edge lettering on later pieces to thwart clipping.

I've turned over enough of these to know they're straightforward silver relics, not the mythical talismans some claim.