312, Lot: 294. Estimate $200. Sold for $160. This amount does not include the buyer’s fee.

ITALY, Papale (Stato pontificio). Gregory XIII. 1572-1585. AR Testone (30mm, 9.32 g, 12h). Ancona mint. Papal arms / S. Pietro standing right, holding keys. Muntoni 209; Berman 1215. VF, minor roughness.

Best known for his reformation of the Gregorian calendar, Pope Gregory XIII sought wide reform for the Church itself. The Index of Forbidden Books was updated and the Consistories were abolished and replaced with the College of Cardinals. In order to raise money for his many public and cultural improvements, he confiscated private properties, alienating many of the gentry and noble families while plunging the Papal States into near-anarchy until his death.