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 Replies: 160 / Views: 28,107 |
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Pillar of the Community
 United States
5975 Posts |
Following up on a suggestion on another thread, this thread will give an opportunity for everyone to post their medieval coins from the Kingdom of Poland in one place. As the Ancient and Medieval forum extends only to 1600, when we reach the end of the line here, I sill start a thread to continue into the modern era on the World Coins & Commemoratives forum.
Following the example of a thread that was started exactly two years ago by one of our medieval experts, I'd like to progress week-by-week like this:
Sept.21-28 - 10th & 11th c. (Mieszko I to Wladyslaw Hermann and 11th c. bishops' coinage)
Sept.28- Oct.5 - 12th and 13th c. (Boleslaw III to Wenceslaus of Bohemia)
Oct.5-12 - 14th c. and to 1434 (Wladyslaw Lokietek to Wladyslaw Jagiello)
Oct. 12-19 - 15th c. (Wladyslaw III of Varna to Jan Olbracht)
Oct. 19-26 - 1501 to 1546 (Alexander and Zygmunt/Sigismund I)
Oct. 26-Nov.2 - 1547 to 1586 (Zygmunt/Sigismund II to Stefan Batory.
For a number of reasons, coins minted in places like Silesia, Bohemia, Hungary, Prussia, Lithuania and even France are occasionally included in the "Polish" catalogs covering this period. When this is appropriate , post them, and let's have some discussion about the history!
And speaking of catalogs, mine is limited to Gumowski, so any additional attribution comments are welcome.
Same rules as pertain elsewhere:
- You must own the coin, and post a photo of the coin you own
- Just one or two coins per post
I will announce the changeover each Friday evening (U.S. Eastern time). I expect slim pickings for the first week or two, but I know from our "How Far Back" threads there are an awful lot of nice coins out there for the last two weeks.
Let the posts begin!
Edited by tdziemia
09/21/2018 3:19 pm
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Moderator
 United States
23729 Posts |
Looking forward to see this thread develop. My family on my fathers side is from Poland so I'm at least half Polish. The funny thing is that I have no coins from that region.
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Moderator
United States
28395 Posts |
Quote:
Looking forward to see this thread develop. Me too! 
"If you climb a good tree, you get a push."
-----Ghanaian proverb
"The danger we all now face is distinguishing between what is authentic and what is performed."
-----King Adz
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Pillar of the Community
Topic StarterUnited States
5975 Posts |
Quote:
My family on my fathers side is from Poland so I'm at least half Polish Me, too, echizento. I first visited relatives there in 1980, but got the bug for Polish coins later. I have nothing from the 10th century, but hope someone else does. In the meantime I'll post my earliest Polish coin, this 11th century denar, listed as Bishops' coinage in Gumowski. According to Gumowski, there is no known coinage attributed to Polish rulers of the first half of the 11th century, but there are many varieties of these coins issued in episcopal centers like Poznan, Gniezno, Wroclaw (Breslau). Gumowski 51.  
Edited by tdziemia
09/21/2018 11:06 pm
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Moderator
United States
23729 Posts |
Interesting coin. The only letter I can make out is the "X". Are the other marks around the edge supposed to be letter also?
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Pillar of the Community
Topic StarterUnited States
5975 Posts |
Sorry, I should have done a better job on legends, but I'm also having some difficulty with them.
Gumowski describes the coin like this: "Av. Gerades Kreuz - Rv. Dreieckskreuz und CRVX CRVX oder XPI CRVX". STraight cross obverse, wedge cross reverse.
In the second photo, the letters are readable as follows: C at 12:00, R at 3:00, V (inverted) at 9:00, X at 6:00.
In the first photo, X at 9:00, P (probably at 3:00?) and I at 12:00.
Edited by tdziemia
09/21/2018 11:23 pm
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Pillar of the Community
Topic StarterUnited States
5975 Posts |
My earliest coin in the name of a Polish monarch is this denar of Boleslaw II (reigned 1058-1079). Wikipedia makes this mention of numismatic significance: Boles#322;aw II was also the first Polish monarch to produce his own coinage in quantity great enough to replace the foreign coins prevalent in the country during the reigns of the first Piast kings. Obverse bust of king facing left, BOLEZLAVS Reverse: horse and rider Kopicki 25f. Gum. I think this may be listed in Kopicki as R3, but a fair number of these come up at auction each year. I wish it didn't have that chip on the edge, but it probably saved me $150, and does not really affect the legends or other design details   |
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Moderator
United States
23729 Posts |
I like the horse and rider reverse.
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Pillar of the Community
Topic StarterUnited States
5975 Posts |
Me, too!
Shows up quite a bit on European medievals ... Brabant anmd Lorraine, two other places I collect, have them on 12th and 13th c. deniers/denars.
And they feature very prominently on coins of the Polish-Lithuanian commonwealth (as it's a national symbol of Lithuania) starting in the late 1400s I think. Certainly we will see some of those in a few weeks here!
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Moderator
United States
28395 Posts |
Here is my only contribution for this week. It is a Randpfennig from 11th Century Poland, similarly unattributed to a specific ruler. I have it attributed as Gumowski #59 and Sumow. #54 var., but as I don't actually own either of these references, I would be happy to hear confirmation or other possible attributions. Much like @tdz's coin from this period, the rim is oddly enhanced, almost like the so-called " Dryer Coins" that pop up with some variety over on the US modern coin variety area of CCF. Any thoughts on why (or when) this might have been done?   "If you climb a good tree, you get a push."
-----Ghanaian proverb
"The danger we all now face is distinguishing between what is authentic and what is performed."
-----King Adz
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Pillar of the Community
Topic StarterUnited States
5975 Posts |
Yes, it looks like a match to Gumowski 59. The description in the catalog reads: "Av. Bischofsstab bekreuzt - Rv. Dreieckskreuz" The sketch on Plate 2 shows the bishop's staff curved left, and no lettering either side (Gum. 58 has the staff curved right and some lettering). And reverse has alternating pellets and wedges in angle of cross. Will try to post a photo or scan tomorrow.
Gumowski mentions that 744 varieties of 11th c. Randpfennig are documented in his work, Corpus Nummorum Poloniae. SO we've now covered two of them!
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Moderator
United States
28395 Posts |
Quote:
744 varieties Yikes!
"If you climb a good tree, you get a push."
-----Ghanaian proverb
"The danger we all now face is distinguishing between what is authentic and what is performed."
-----King Adz
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Pillar of the Community
Topic StarterUnited States
5975 Posts |
Here is the portion of Gumowski Plate 2 that shows #58 and 59 (two varieties of the latter).  A comment on Polish history that may be relevant to this thread, for those who are more used to the coinage (and history) of England or France in the late medieval period/ Between Mieszko I (ca. 960-992) who is widely recognized as the first sovereign of a (somewhat) unified Poland, and the end of the 13th century, Polish sovereigns are sometimes kings, but more often dukes. So, Boleslaw II whose denar was posted a few days ago, ascended as Duke of Poland in 1058, but was crowned as the third king of Poland in 1076, and reigned until 1079. His territory was relatively close to the land that makes up the modern Polish state, even including Silesia. There would not be another King of Poland for over 200 years. (Which makes the numismatic opportunities even richer!) |
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Pillar of the Community
Belgium
1194 Posts |
very interesting thread if you know nothing of this coins , different from French coins of this period .It is not my period of collection , but I ask often myself why it is so difficult and expensive to find coins from Flanders or Brabant for this period ? As the so called 'Lower Countries' were officially a part of the French kingdom ( Bruges , Ghent...) or from the German Empire ( Antwerp , Brussels...), didn't this cities mint their our coins , as happened in France ? Bruges was a very important city and called 'Venice of the Nord'but it is nearly impossible to find coins of this period ? The only coin know is a 'maille', a sort of denarius . albert
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Bedrock of the Community
Australia
21179 Posts |
Is there any reliable publication on this subject in English? I would love to find out!
I have the right contacts to track down such a publication on this subject if any exists!
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Moderator
United States
28395 Posts |
Hmm my Kopicki is in Polish...
"If you climb a good tree, you get a push."
-----Ghanaian proverb
"The danger we all now face is distinguishing between what is authentic and what is performed."
-----King Adz
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Replies: 160 / Views: 28,107 |
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Posted 09/21/2018 7:00 pm
