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#0156
BEATA MIAZGA, BORYS PASZKIEWICZ
152
were somewhat better in fineness. In her examination of a single coin of this type,
Stanisława Kubiak obtained an even lower value - that of 175/1000.48
With regard to the Bytom heller with the image of a miner (no. 13), a coin that
up until not long ago was quite rare but which recently has been appearing on the
antiquities market, we did not, unfortunately, have the opportunity to look inside
of it, and thus we only have an analysis of the surface, which gave us a result of
379/1000, which is definitely inflated as a result of its having been enriched on the
surface. An X-ray fluorescent analysis of a coin of this type, performed for Fritz
Spruth, showed a significantly lower fineness, barely 200/1000.49 Much the same is
true of the last of our Silesian coins (no. 14), a heller with a majuscule letter Mand
an eagle on a shield, which the literature - most certainly erroneously - attributes
to Ziębice (Münsterberg) during the time of Matthias Corvinus. In fact, it is, in all
probability, a coin of John II, the duke of Głogów, struck in Kożuchów between 1483
and 1488. The concentration of silver recorded on the coin’s surface (619/1000) is
certainly inflated as a result of the process of blanching since the fineness of silver
for these coins was prescribed as 234.4/1000.50
COINS OF THE BALTIC AREA
Our collection of coins also includes coins from the Baltic area. We can
definitely describe two of them as West Pomeranian city pennies from the first
half of the 15th century: from Goleniów (no. 15) and Słupsk (no. 16). We do not
have a great deal of information about the official standard of these coins. The
agreement that was concluded in 1425 between Stralsund, Greifswald, and Rostock
set the weight of a penny at 0.336 g of silver, with a fineness of 453/1000, but this
concerned a different monetary system, one that was in effect in the western part
of the state, this being what is called the Sundisch monetary system, that is, the
monetary system of Stralsund.51 The agreement between Greifswald, Stralsund,
Anklam, and Demmin from 1428 significantly lowered these norms to a weight
of 0.255 g and a fineness of 234/1000.52 From a practical perspective, this move
made Sundisch pennies equal to Wendisch (Slavic) pennies (also calledfinkenaugen,
“finch eyes”), which is why we can expect the latter to have similar parameters.
The Goleniów penny (no. 15) has not survived intact, but an examination of the
level of fineness gave us a result that was greater than expected not only on the
coin’s surface (763/1000) but also in the interior (561/1000). It does not seem that
48 KUBIAK 1970: 115.
49 SPRUTH 1971: 302.
50 PASZKIEWICZ forthcoming (a).
51 DINNIES 1780: 29-33.
52 STAVEN HAGEN 1773: 92, 456 458.
152
were somewhat better in fineness. In her examination of a single coin of this type,
Stanisława Kubiak obtained an even lower value - that of 175/1000.48
With regard to the Bytom heller with the image of a miner (no. 13), a coin that
up until not long ago was quite rare but which recently has been appearing on the
antiquities market, we did not, unfortunately, have the opportunity to look inside
of it, and thus we only have an analysis of the surface, which gave us a result of
379/1000, which is definitely inflated as a result of its having been enriched on the
surface. An X-ray fluorescent analysis of a coin of this type, performed for Fritz
Spruth, showed a significantly lower fineness, barely 200/1000.49 Much the same is
true of the last of our Silesian coins (no. 14), a heller with a majuscule letter Mand
an eagle on a shield, which the literature - most certainly erroneously - attributes
to Ziębice (Münsterberg) during the time of Matthias Corvinus. In fact, it is, in all
probability, a coin of John II, the duke of Głogów, struck in Kożuchów between 1483
and 1488. The concentration of silver recorded on the coin’s surface (619/1000) is
certainly inflated as a result of the process of blanching since the fineness of silver
for these coins was prescribed as 234.4/1000.50
COINS OF THE BALTIC AREA
Our collection of coins also includes coins from the Baltic area. We can
definitely describe two of them as West Pomeranian city pennies from the first
half of the 15th century: from Goleniów (no. 15) and Słupsk (no. 16). We do not
have a great deal of information about the official standard of these coins. The
agreement that was concluded in 1425 between Stralsund, Greifswald, and Rostock
set the weight of a penny at 0.336 g of silver, with a fineness of 453/1000, but this
concerned a different monetary system, one that was in effect in the western part
of the state, this being what is called the Sundisch monetary system, that is, the
monetary system of Stralsund.51 The agreement between Greifswald, Stralsund,
Anklam, and Demmin from 1428 significantly lowered these norms to a weight
of 0.255 g and a fineness of 234/1000.52 From a practical perspective, this move
made Sundisch pennies equal to Wendisch (Slavic) pennies (also calledfinkenaugen,
“finch eyes”), which is why we can expect the latter to have similar parameters.
The Goleniów penny (no. 15) has not survived intact, but an examination of the
level of fineness gave us a result that was greater than expected not only on the
coin’s surface (763/1000) but also in the interior (561/1000). It does not seem that
48 KUBIAK 1970: 115.
49 SPRUTH 1971: 302.
50 PASZKIEWICZ forthcoming (a).
51 DINNIES 1780: 29-33.
52 STAVEN HAGEN 1773: 92, 456 458.