CNG 94, Lot: 1806. Estimate $750. Sold for $1800. This amount does not include the buyer’s fee.

ITALY, Papale (Stato pontificio). Urban V. 1362-1370. AV Fiorino d’oro (20mm, 3.54 g, 12h). Avignon mint; mms: crossed keys/mitre. Ornate lily of Florence / Jean le Baptiste standing facing, raising hand in benediction and holding scepter. Poey d’Avant 4140 (John XXII); Muntoni 2 (anonymous 14th century); Berman 201; Gamberini 646; Friedberg 29 (France). Good VF, toned.

In March of 1309, the Roman Curia (the administration of the Holy See) moved from Rome to Avignon in France. This move was brought about by Pope Clement V’s attempt to escape political squabbling among influential Italian families. In the eyes of the pope, Avignon would provide a more secure and neutral location that was less prone to interference from outside interests. For nearly 70 years, the papacy remained at Avignon. Pope Urban V, the sixth Avignon pope, attempted to return the papacy to Rome during the end of his reign. However, the protestations of French cardinals, combined with growing instability in certain regions of the Papal States, convinced him to return to Avignon, his true seat of power. A native of Griznac in Languedoc and a former lecturer in canon law, he introduced considerable reform and served as a patron to learning, founding the University of Hungary and restoring the school of medicine in Montpelier. He also founded colleges in Quézac and Bédouès, and obtained the submission of Byzantine Emperor John V Palaeologus, though not of the Eastern Church.