Modena Tallero

The Modena Tallero's most striking feature was its overstriking on older silver coins, a pragmatic reuse of metal from defunct currencies like Spanish reales. This practice, common in the 17th century, reflected the duchy’s resourcefulness amid frequent wars. Mintage varied by year, but records are spotty; we know production peaked under Duke Francesco III in the 1740s, though exact figures vanished in archival losses.

Design-wise, the coin typically displayed the Este family arms on the obverse and a value or date on the reverse. Sizes ranged from 40 to 45 millimeters, hefty for a pocket piece. Not every Tallero survived intact; corrosion from burial or wear from circulation took its toll.

Counterfeits posed a headache, as they did for many thalers. One dry observation: numismatists might quip that these coins were as reliable as the dukes who minted them—sometimes solid, often not. We don’t know the full extent of exports, but evidence suggests they circulated widely in northern Italy.