The Dogecoin started as a cryptocurrency parody, which is why its name and emblem come from a friendly looking Shiba Inu dog. But now that it’s being traded for real, perhaps it’s time to claim a real legacy for it in the form of another doge-coin, the ducats minted by Venice from the 12th to the 19th centuries, featuring its leader, the Doge, kneeling before St Mark, the city-state’s patron saint.

Ducats have a particular link with Kerala.