(sold for $8.0)

1604, Venice. Copper Quattrino Coin. Struck for circulation in Brescia & Verona!

Mint Year: ca. 1604 Reference: Paolucci 731. Denomination: Quattrino Condition: Lightly corroded, otherwise VF!  Doge: Anonymous type, struck for circulation in Brescia and Verona! Material: Copper Diameter: 20mm Weight: 2.69gm

Obverse: Nimbate and veiled bust of the Virgin Mary, holding baby Jesus child. Numeral (4) in exergue. Legend: R. C. L. A. (REGINA COELI LAETARE ALLELUJA - "Queen of Heaven, rejoice. ⁠Alleluia!"   Reverse: Winged lion of St. Mark facing, holding  book of gospels.

The Doge of Venice (Doxe de Venexia [ˈdɔːze de veˈnɛsja]; Italian: Doge di Venezia; all derived from Latin dūx, "military leader"), sometimes translated as Duke (compare the Italian Duca), was the chief magistrate and leader of the Most Serene Republic of Venice for 1,100 years (697–1797). Doges of Venice were elected for life by the city-state's aristocracy. Commonly the man selected as Doge was the shrewdest elder in the city. The doge was neither a duke in the modern sense, nor the equivalent of a hereditary duke. The title "doge" was the title of the senior-most elected official of Venice and Genoa; both cities were republics and elected doges. A doge was referred to variously by the titles "My Lord the Doge" (Monsignor el Doxe), "Most Serene Prince" (Serenissimo Principe), and "His Serenity" (Sua Serenità).