[ECONOMICS] SCARUFFI, Gasparo. L'Alitinonfo [...] to establi - Lot 117

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  3. [ECONOMICS] SCARUFFI, Gasparo. L'Alitinonfo [...] to establi - Lot 117
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Lot n° 117
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[ECONOMICS] SCARUFFI, Gasparo. L'Alitinonfo [...] to establi - Lot 117
[ECONOMICS] SCARUFFI, Gasparo. L'Alitinonfo [...] to establish a standard and parity for gold and silver to be used universally, both to prevent the endless abuses of debasing and counterfeiting coins, and to regulate all kinds of payments, and even to bring the whole world under a single currency. An extremely rare first edition of this pioneering 16th-century Italian treatise on monetary policy, the first plea in history for a single, universal currency. Reggio, Hercoliano Bartoli, 1582. 2 parts in 1 in-4 volume (288 x 180 mm) in Bradel binding, cream half-parchment with corner pieces, smooth spine decorated with gilt fillets, blue paper title label. 5 unnumbered folios, 60 numbered folios, 4 unnumbered folios; 1 blank folio and 10 numbered folios. Title engraved on copper, 2 fold-out plates, several plates in the text framed by woodcut arabesques, illustrated initials, typographical ornaments. Binding slightly rubbed, spine burnished, one corner slightly dented, a few light foxing spots on the title page and edges. A very rare first edition of one of the most comprehensive and advanced treatises on 16th-century monetary issues, written by the economist and banker Gasparo Scaruffi (1519–1584). Faced with the financial chaos of his time and the massive influx of precious metals from the New World, the author proposes a visionary overhaul: the establishment of a single, universal currency that is fixed and internationally guaranteed. To eradicate systemic fraud such as coin clipping, Scaruffi devised a comprehensive reform based on strict bimetallism. Responding to the needs of the emerging financial bourgeoisie, he established the imperial lira as a universal unit of account and measure. His system was based on an immutable mathematical ratio, indexed to the natural proportion between gold and silver (set at 1 to 12). It is this ambition for economic transparency that dictates the title of the work, *L’Alitinonfo*, a neologism derived from ancient Greek meaning “true light.” The short second part, titled “Breve instruttione sopra il discorso fatto dal mag. M. Gasparo Scaruffi per regolare le cose delli Danari,” is signed with the pseudonym Il Prospero and attributed to Scaruffi’s collaborator, Prospero Bisi. Designed as a practical handbook, it simplifies Scaruffi’s complex calculations and details the gold-to-silver conversion rates to enable merchants of the time to immediately counter monetary fraud in their daily transactions. This crucial guide is missing from many known copies. [Goldsmiths’ Cat. I, 222]. An attractive copy, in a beautifully fresh condition, preserved in a modest yet sturdy 19th-century binding.
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