ITALY. Papal States. Sede Vacante, 1523. Fiorino di camera (Gold, 24 mm, 3.38 g, 12 h), Rome. °SEDE° VA-CANTE° Arms of the Cardinal Camerlengo Francesco Armellini surmounted by two crossed keys beneath an umbrella. Rev. (trident) SANCTVS· PETRVS· ALMA· ROMA° St. Peter seated in a boat to left, drawing up his nets. Berman 815. Friedberg 51a. Muntoni 1. Extremely rare. Extremely fine.
From a European collection, ex Numismatica Ars Classica 90, 14 May 2016, 608, Numismatica Ars Classica 16, 28 October 1999, 134, and from the collection of G. Butta, P. & P. Santamaria, 28 June 1939, 176.
Francesco Armellini Pantalassi de' Medici was born in Perugia in 1470, was made a cardinal by Leo X in 1517, and Camerlengo in 1521. He built an important palace, now the Palazzo Cesi-Armellini, between 1517 and 1521, since he had become vastly wealthy (he was adopted by Pope Leo X - thus, de' Medici), but his greed led to the sack of Rome in 1527. In 1525 he had advised Clement VII to discharge most of the army in order to save money; but then, in 1527 Charles V's army appeared. Interestingly enough, after many changes in ownership the Palace became the mother house of the Salvatorian order, which during World War II was led by the Superior General Pankratius Pfeiffer. He was a truly good person who, during the German occupation, used his influence with the Pope and his connections to the Germans to save countless Jews and other hostages from execution, hiding many of them in the Palace.