Cinagli - Monete de' Papi - 1848

IN FOLIO GRANDE: PAPAL COINS ILLUSTRATED IN LARGE ENGRAVED TABLES
Angelo Cinagli's work represents one of the peaks of eighteenth-nineteenth century papal numismatics, an ambitious attempt to organize, classify, and interpret the entire monetary system of the popes through a rigorous and innovative synoptic layout. Published in Fermo in 1848, at a moment of strong political and symbolic tension for the Papal State, the work transforms coinage into a total historical document: not only an economic instrument, but a vehicle of propaganda, a manifestation of authority, and a mirror of institutional transformations. The plates and analytical tables offer a systematic reading that combines description, rarity, and valuation, anticipating a nearly modern approach to numismatic cataloging. The volume thus presents itself as a true atlas of papal power engraved in metal.
MARKET VALUE
Cinagli of 1848 is a fundamental text for papal numismatics and maintains a solid market: complete examples in good condition generally range between 1,200 and 1,500 euros.

PHYSICAL DESCRIPTION AND CONDITION
Contemporary binding in half Morocco leather with gilt title to the smooth spine and ornaments. Card stock inserted on the paste-down. Frontispiece with an allegorical vignette engraved. Four plates engraved out of text. Pages with some browning and foxing. In old books, with a multi-century history, some imperfections may be present, not always noted in the description. Pp. (2); 2nn; 6; 480; (2).

FULL TITLE AND AUTHOR
The Coins of the Popes described in synoptic plates.
Fermo, Gaetano Paccasassi, 1848.
Cinagli, Angelo.

CONTEXT AND SIGNIFICANCE
Cinagli’s work fits into the great Italian tradition of numismatic studies, yet it distinguishes itself by its systematic and comparative approach. The “synoptic tables” represent the methodological core of the work: a visual and analytical device that allows immediate comparison of emissions, values, and rarities. In an era when numismatics is transforming from antiquarian erudition into a scientific discipline, Cinagli offers an operational tool for collectors, scholars, and institutions. The papal coin emerges as a complex object: a sign of sovereignty, a means of political communication, and an artistic testament. The work had a lasting impact, becoming a reference point for subsequent cataloging and for the antique market.

BIOGRAPHY OF THE AUTHOR
Angelo Cinagli (fl. 19th century) was an Italian scholar and numismatist active in the first half of the nineteenth century. His work focuses mainly on papal coinage, which he analyzes with a systematic and classificatory approach. With The Coins of the Popes he contributed significantly to the structuring of numismatics as an autonomous discipline, providing advanced analytical tools for the identification and valuation of emissions.

PRINTING HISTORY AND CIRCULATION
Printed in Fermo by Gaetano Paccasassi in 1848, the work had significant diffusion among Italian collecting and academic circles. The not-high print run and the specialist destination made it a sought-after volume already in the nineteenth century. Complete copies of the plates and in good condition are today relatively rare on the market, especially in contemporary binding.

BIBLIOGRAPHY AND REFERENCES
ICCU/OPAC SBN: IT\ICCU\RAVE\005214 (to be verified for specific description and collation)
WorldCat: OCLC 79756421 (international locations)
Gnecchi, Manuale di numismatica, pp. 210-215 (for the context of nineteenth-century studies)
CNI (Corpus Nummorum Italicorum), general introduction (for the tradition of Italian monetary studies)
Babelon, Traité des monnaies grecques et romaines, introduction (for the comparative methodological framework)