THE LATIN WORD for is obsidium, so numismatists use the term to describe emergency coins improvised by authorities in cities under siege. Cut off from normal monetary circulation, these towns needed to pay the troops manning the walls, as they struggled to maintain normal commercial activity. Siege coins are highly collectible pieces of the past, although they present many challenges to collectors.

Sack of Rome

Papal States. Clement VII (Giulio di Giuliano de' Medici). 1523-1534. AR ducato ossidionale (38 mm, 35.95 g, 2 h). VAuctions, Triskeles Sale 31, 27 March 2020, Lot: 583, realized: Unsold.

Vienna 1529

AUSTRIA. Klippe Ducat, 1529. Vienna Mint. Ferdinand I (1521-1564). Stack's Bowers Galleries (& Ponterio), August 2018 ANA Auction, 14 August 2018, Lot: 20163, realized: $3,200.

To read the complete article, see:
Emergency Money: A Short History of Siege Coins(https://coinweek.com/emergency-money-a-short-history-of-siege-coins/)