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Show PAPAL LORE IN COIN ' SERIE8 THAT EXTENDS OVER A THOUSAND YEARS. j Adrian I. the First Head of Church to Circulate Currency Lto XIII. Wa the Last Rare Types Are Illustrated. Not the least Interesting ot the. pope's jubilee gifts was the unique gold coin ot Pope Innocent IX., whlcli, recently exhumed at Acqul, Italy, was contended for by coin collectors, King Victor Emmanuel being an unsuccessful unsuccess-ful competitor. This coin, the only one In existence of the reign of Innocent IX., waB needed need-ed I o mnke the Vatican collection of papal coins complete. The papal coins exhibit tho portraits of many of the popes and their coats of arms, nnd furnish metallic history of th3 coinage ot tho church from tho first Issues in the latter part of the eighth century down to 1 870, .when the papal states wero annexed to Italy and tho papal mint ceased operations. The papal series ot coIdb Is one of the very longest, covering 1,136 years. The first pope to Issue coins was Adrian Ad-rian I. Tho coins of Europo wero then largely In Imitation of those of the Byzantine empire, whoso gold byzanJs were generally used throughout the continent, and the coin of Popo Ad-. Ad-. rtan was a fair example of tho coinage ot the times. It showed a full face portrait, presumably of St. Peter, on 1 the obverse, surrounded by the Jnscrlp- tlon "Hodrlanus P. P." and the cross on the reverse, very much after the style of the Byzantine pieces. 1 Many of the. early Issues of the popes show tho name of the reigning f popo and a representation of either St Peter or St. Paul. Perhaps no so-' so-' rles of colnB shows a greater variety of design or more skillful execution.-k execution.-k The church, tUuays a patron ot the .arts, employed the foremost . artists of tho time, and some of tho -coins r are from the hands ot such men as a Cellini and Franefci. I A gold scodo of Julius II., the do- sign ot which is credited to Francla, J shows a finely engraved portrait or tho L pope, with the Inscription: "Julius I Pontifex Maxlmus." A coin of Alex-J Alex-J ander VII., attributed to Paolo, Bhows f on tho reverse tho crossed keys and crown, perhaps one of tho first ot the . papal coins to bear this device. J Tho coins of the popes wero struck I in many places, Including Homo, Bolt Bo-lt logna, Avignon, Perugia, Ternl, San Severlno and Gaota. One of the Inter-F Inter-F esting pieces of tho Roman mint was I a silver ducat of Clement VII. ThlB piece, Irregular In shape, was struck fc In 1527, when Rome was In a Btate ot siege. On tho ob verso, are shown the arms and title ot Popo Clement, with the word "Ducato" Inclosed by a wreath on tho reverse. To this same pope Is credited a jubilee five sequin piece in gold, struck? In 1525. It Is not! unlikely that tho latter piece was en-j graved' by Cellini. |