Florence

Leopold II di Lorena (First Reign), Grand Duke of Tuscany 1824-1848

MIR 444/5, PCGS-graded MS-64+

Very choice with excellent, sharp detail and lovely gold toning: a wonderful coin showing John the Baptist and the lily of Florence.

Known in Italy as Leopoldo Giovanni Giuseppe Francesco Ferdinando Carlo, he was devoted to developing his adopted country outside of the control of his native Austria. When civil unrest spread through all of Italy in the 1840s, Leopold’s ambitions faltered but he is remembered for his many civic improvements. He died in Rome after abandoning his control of Florence and living in Austria. This coin was struck during his glorious period.