Le zecche italiane

This essay presents a survey of the history and organization of Italian mints, and it stems out of 25 years of the author’s research in this field: it is the introductory chapter and synthesis of the entire book, edited by the same author in 10 years work (a substantial encyclopedia of Italian mints from the fall of the Roman Empire to the Unification of Italy). The essay considers the history of research from the 18th century, the organization, distribution and administration of Italian mints, their personnel, and many other aspects, with a very rich bibliography.