Sardinian Carlino

The Sardinian Carlino's most striking feature was its inconsistent silver content, which varied by mint and year, reflecting the island's makeshift metallurgy in the 18th century.

This made for unpredictable coins that traders had to weigh on the spot. Issued from 1720 under Victor Amadeus II, the Carlino served as a workhorse for daily exchanges in Sardinia, often depicting the Savoyard cross or the monarch's bust. Mints in Cagliari and Sassari produced them, but records for exact outputs are spotty—many were likely lost in bureaucratic shuffles.

What we do know is that these coins circulated alongside foreign pieces, like Spanish reales, due to Sardinia's trade routes. The designs evolved with each ruler, from Charles Emmanuel III to the Napoleonic era, but quality dipped as wars drained resources. It's a coin that tells the story of a resilient island, not some mythical treasure.