DOI article:
Miazga, Beata; Paszkiewicz, Boris: The metal content of selected Polish and Brandenburg coins from the 14th and 15th centuries
DOI Page / Citation link:https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.49247#0152
BEATA MIAZGA, BORYS PASZKIEWICZ
148
used.37 The reason various names arc used results from the fact that they represent
a denomination that is not mentioned in the written sources but which is greater than
the penny. For a long time it was believed that this was a coin used across the Polish
Kingdom, one that accompanied the Krakow groschen, or at least the kwartniks, in
their issue and circulation.38 That this was the case is indicated by the coin’s style,
which is similar to certain large Crown kwartniks and Krakow pennies, as well as
the legend: Moneta Kazimiri regis / Regis Polonie moneta (the last words on both
sides of the legend are shortened or omitted). This coin, however, was never found
in any known hoard, and its context is not confirmed in the sources. It was not until
single finds began to appear that it became possible to see that the small kwartniks
of Casimir the Great only occur (with one possible exception) in the region of the
lower Vistula, from Ciechanów through Kuyavia all the way to Gdańsk; there have
been at least eleven such finds.39 This being the case, there is no reason to suggest
that the small kwartniks were struck in Krakow, especially since - as Kiersnowski
has noted - they are metrologically similar to the Prussian Teutonic coins called
firchen, and initially firling. And so, they were minted within the reach of King
Casimir’s direct authority, in the area in which coins from Toruń circulated, in
Kuyavia, or in Płock Masovia, and the mint may have been located in Bydgoszcz,
Inowrocław, Brześć, or Płock.
The lack of any hoards with these coins makes it difficult to determine their
chronology. It is possible to see stylistic similarities between the royal countenance
upon them and certain variants of the pennies of the Head/eagle type, but the
chronology of the latter - as demonstrated above - also requires further investigation.
Much the same is true of the large kwartniks. At most they strengthen our belief
that these are coins from the latter half of King Casimir’s reign. All that remains
is their similarity to the Prussian firchen, which were minted as of c. 1360. This
Prussian coin was part of a greater monetary system and a reform on an extensive
scale. The Polish coin had no clear system context; therefore, it is rather the Polish
coin that imitated the Prussian one and not the opposite. We would thus be dealing
with coins from the last few years of Casimir’s reign.
Of the three coins described here, two are completely intact, which gives us
a total sum of twelve known undamaged small kwartniks (including those that have
been published, those from the antique market, and those that are in the collection
of the National Museum in Krakow). While we only have a few of these coins, we
37 PASZKIEWICZ 2008a: 46.
38 KIERSNOWSKI 1975: 234-235.
39 For a list of six of these, sec: PASZKIEWICZ 2013: 232-233. More finds were made near Włocławek;
near Kwidzyn; in Gołębin, near Lubraniec; in Koszanowo, near Włocławek; and near Kruszwica.
148
used.37 The reason various names arc used results from the fact that they represent
a denomination that is not mentioned in the written sources but which is greater than
the penny. For a long time it was believed that this was a coin used across the Polish
Kingdom, one that accompanied the Krakow groschen, or at least the kwartniks, in
their issue and circulation.38 That this was the case is indicated by the coin’s style,
which is similar to certain large Crown kwartniks and Krakow pennies, as well as
the legend: Moneta Kazimiri regis / Regis Polonie moneta (the last words on both
sides of the legend are shortened or omitted). This coin, however, was never found
in any known hoard, and its context is not confirmed in the sources. It was not until
single finds began to appear that it became possible to see that the small kwartniks
of Casimir the Great only occur (with one possible exception) in the region of the
lower Vistula, from Ciechanów through Kuyavia all the way to Gdańsk; there have
been at least eleven such finds.39 This being the case, there is no reason to suggest
that the small kwartniks were struck in Krakow, especially since - as Kiersnowski
has noted - they are metrologically similar to the Prussian Teutonic coins called
firchen, and initially firling. And so, they were minted within the reach of King
Casimir’s direct authority, in the area in which coins from Toruń circulated, in
Kuyavia, or in Płock Masovia, and the mint may have been located in Bydgoszcz,
Inowrocław, Brześć, or Płock.
The lack of any hoards with these coins makes it difficult to determine their
chronology. It is possible to see stylistic similarities between the royal countenance
upon them and certain variants of the pennies of the Head/eagle type, but the
chronology of the latter - as demonstrated above - also requires further investigation.
Much the same is true of the large kwartniks. At most they strengthen our belief
that these are coins from the latter half of King Casimir’s reign. All that remains
is their similarity to the Prussian firchen, which were minted as of c. 1360. This
Prussian coin was part of a greater monetary system and a reform on an extensive
scale. The Polish coin had no clear system context; therefore, it is rather the Polish
coin that imitated the Prussian one and not the opposite. We would thus be dealing
with coins from the last few years of Casimir’s reign.
Of the three coins described here, two are completely intact, which gives us
a total sum of twelve known undamaged small kwartniks (including those that have
been published, those from the antique market, and those that are in the collection
of the National Museum in Krakow). While we only have a few of these coins, we
37 PASZKIEWICZ 2008a: 46.
38 KIERSNOWSKI 1975: 234-235.
39 For a list of six of these, sec: PASZKIEWICZ 2013: 232-233. More finds were made near Włocławek;
near Kwidzyn; in Gołębin, near Lubraniec; in Koszanowo, near Włocławek; and near Kruszwica.