Gallery

 

EARLY DANZIG NUMISMATIC RELICS

Some of the early Polish-Gdansk coins have similar designs to 20th-century stamps. For those who collect these coins or others who are interested to see them, we present some that are shown in literature from the Biblioteka Gdanska, the museum at the FrauenTor. You can’t miss the building -- it has the Sternwarte on top of the tower.

“In proof of special favour we allow... .the Lord Mayor, councillors and the c\\whole commit nity .. . .of our city of Gdansk to have and possess for endless time silver and gold coin with our roual portrait and name .

So were the rights of minting in Gdansk defined by the Polish King Kzimierz Jagiellonezuk in 1457. On this giound, Gdansk began to stamp during the 13-years war (1454-1466) its own silver “szelag”, with the Polish eagle and town arms. Figure 11

FIGURE 1 - The oldest Polish coin of the city and the smallest, stamped by virture of the King of Poland Kazirnierz Jagiellonczyk ‘S privilege granted in 1457. On the front side (lie Polish eagle on a triangular escutcheon; in the crest (he inscription KASIMIRUS R(EX) POLONI(AE [Kazimierz King of Polandj. On (lie obverse (lie arms of tile city; in the crest the inscription: MONETA CIVIT(ATIS) DANCI(KE) [Money of the city of Gdansk].

Similar szelag, stamped GDANSK, were already minted during the reign of King Zygmunt Stary, but when the money reform united the mint system of the Republic of Poland in 1526, the mint in Gdansk began to stamp sundry silver and gold coin, differing from those stamped in other Polish mints in arms and the name of the town.

Under the influence of many eminent artisans in the art of minting (such asJan and Kasper Gobelius, Filip and Daniel Kliiwer, Samuel Ammon, Jan Höhn Sr., and Jr.) the mint in Gdansk issued particularly beautiful and large currency in silver 2” grosze and 2 tlwrlers) as well as gold (2, 3 and 4 durnts) coin. One of the largest Polish silver coin, a 2 thaler from the reign of Jan Kazimierz, stamped in 1650 is the masterpiece of the Gdansk mint. [Fig. 2]

FIGURE 2 - A two -(baler coin of the city from 1650, the largest silver coin ever minted. On (lie front is (lie bust of King Kazimierz in annor and crown; directed to the right, a scepter in his right hand and an apple In the left. The inscription IOAN(NES) CASIM(IRUS) D(EI) G(RATIA) REX POL(ONIAE E(T) SUEC(IAE) M(AGNUS) D(UX) L(ITHUANIAE) RUS(SIAE) PRU(SSIAE). [Jan Kazimierz by God’s grace, King of Poland and Sweden, the Great Duke of Lithuania, Ruthenia and Prussia. In those days, Prt,sia was (lie name of (he Pomeranian lands, to (lie east of (lie Vistula, inhabited originally by Ug,o -Finnish people of Pnissians.]

 

Danzig Report Vol. 1 - Nr. 96 - July - August - September - 1997, Page 14.