Post Your Denomination Runs

Here is a sample (too lazy to do them all, and this allows to see some details):


Top Row (left to right):
1. Zygmunt I 1537 Gdansk
2. Stefan Bathory 1581 Vilnius
3. Stefan Bathory 1586 Riga
Lower Row (left to right)
4. Zygmunt III 1589 Poznan
5. Zygmunt III 1592 Malbork
6. Zygmunt III 1596 Lublin

Date ranges under each ruler in the 1500s were roughly 1530-40 (Zyg.I), 1557 & 1562-66 (Zyg.II), 1579-1586 (Bathory) and 1589-1599 (Zyg.III)

Zygmunt II (ruled 1547-72) minted Vilnius trojaks which were the only ones without a portrait

Still to be acquired:
Zygmunt I Torun (all dates rare)
Zygmunt I Elbing
Zygmunt II Gdansk (only the 1557 is affordable)
Stefan Bathory Olkusz
Stefan Bathory Poznan
Zygmunt III Vilnius

Then on to the 1600s, where this type thins out considerably (two kings did not mint any)

@tdziemia nice coins!! Keep going! the only Kings I have in my collection are the Spanish Kings in the era of the Spanish Colony in the New World.

If you bought Polish thalers 20 years ago, you were wise! It's hard to find anything in the 16th & 17th centuries with with decent eye appeal for under about $1500 these days. I do not have one in my collection, and probably never will. I got a fair number of my medieval Polish coins from Mr. Stephens.

In the 1500s, the main denominations were denars, shillings (szelag), 1/2 gros (polgrosz), groat/grosz, 3 groats (trojak) and 6 groats (szostaks) for the most part. Under Zygmunt II (1547-72) there were also 2 groat and 4 groats, but these seem to have not really taken hold. It would be far less expensive to collect a run of 1/2 groats, but I like the portraits (of course these are also present on groats from about 1528, too).
According to Gumowski, the trojak of Zygmunt I (1530s) was about 2.67 grams and silver content about 87.5%. The trojak of Bathory (1580s) was 2.42 grams, and also 87.5%. And for Zygmunt III (1590s) 2.37 grams and 85%.

The first two decades of the 1600s saw a strong debasement of the silver content in the smaller denominations (by 1623 the trojaks contained less than half the silver they did in 1580), and the introduction of the large silver ort (1/4 thaler, but containing appreciably less silver than this would indicate). Maybe this debasement made the smaller denominations like the trojak less useful?

Concerning the wide variety in appearance of the coins I've posted, I think that the two dark coins (upper left and center of lower row) are natural patination. Coin at lower left was almost certainly cleaned rather vigorously (though too bad, because it's also in high grade).

Lastly, I will comment that this set also provides a commentary on tonsorial styles of the European aristocracy of the 16th century:
- beginning of the century we see "pageboy" type haircuts, and cleanshaven chins (Zygmunt's hair is covered by a cap on the coin I've shown, but on coins of just 5-10 years earlier he sports the longer, strait hair of a pageboy" cut ... in his 60s!)
- midcentury the hair is shorter, and full beards become common (the two Bathory coins and the Zygmunt coin at lower left)
- late century the beards become goatees (the last 2 Zygmunt coins); in the early 17th century, the hair gets longer, while retaining the goatees.

Thanks for sharing the Info Tdziemia!

@Gallienus, I am interested in your research about Independent Latin American Coins, let me know if you need some help and information about Peru Republic. I can provide some information needed about Peru, and get some information from Peruvian Collectors when I go to Peru.

I am trying to do research on Escudos, a info I got is that early years form Lima mint have weak strike in contrast to the late years from 1840 and up.

Moreover, about the 1846 Cuzco Escudo which was sold years ago and is the only one graded, I found out it actually is an 1845. If you look at pictures the 5 and the"6" look very similar or the same.

this is the 1845 Cuzco from Lissner Collection


this is the 1846 from Heritage Auction



I would like to hear your opinion about it.. In a book about Peruvian coins, written by a friend and a very well known collector in Peru, he says that 1846 Cuzco might be mistakenly included in World Coins Catalog by error. (Look Footnote)

http://goccf.com/t/263922&whichpage=5#2953873

Hi @Gallienus,

Sorry, I just signed in to my account after almost a year. Yes, 1846 might not exist and it is just an 1845, where the 5 looks close to a 6. I have diversified my collecting the beginning of this year to Reales as well, after acquired 1839 Arequipa 1/4 Real, and 1882 Ayacucho 1/2 Real.

I f you need help with your research let me know, I have been doing some research on population.

Best Regards

Doing a complete UK Halfcrown run is a goal of mine.

It would include

Henry VIII 1544- 47 Gold Halfcrown
Edward VI Half crowns silver and gold (1550 and 1551)
Mary 1553 Gold Half
Mary and Philip gold Half crowns
Elizabeth - Silver Half crowns (6 coinages)
James I Gold and Silver halves (4 coinages)
Charles - Silver Half (Done) - all silver until 1947)
Commonwealth 1649/56 God with us Change and Charitie series (Hammered and silver)
Oliver Cromwell 1658 Milled Pattern
Charles II (Done)
James II
William and Mary
William III (1695 - 1701)
Anne (Pre and Post Union - done have 1709)
George I
George II (Done, Lima 1746)
George III (Only 1816 - 1819 issued)
George IV (Done have 1823 and 1825 - 2nd and 3rd typers of 3)
William IV (One type - 2 worn coins)
Victoria (early 1845, late 1893 missing Jubilee 1887/92)
Edward VII - None incredibly)
George V (Done - Early 1915, Base 1924, Late 1929)
George IV (Done, silver 1944, Base 1948, Late 1951)
Elizabeth - Done 1953 and 1954/67.

A complete set of those would be nice

Have complete NZ run though!

Some of my Edward VII Pennies including some scarcer types