DOI Artikel:
Miazga, Beata; Paszkiewicz, Boris: The metal content of selected Polish and Brandenburg coins from the 14th and 15th centuries
DOI Seite / Zitierlink:https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.49247#0160
BEATA MIAZGA, BORYS PASZKIEWICZ
156
Tracer 5 i (Bruker)67 handheld spectrometer has a radiation beam with a width of
3 to 8 mm. For artefacts that are thinner than this, which includes coins, such a beam
would be too large. At the other end of the scale are pieces of equipment that can make
much more precise measurements, i.e. micro-spectrometers, which can have beams
with a diameter of 0.08 mm.68 The Spectro Midex used here has a larger diameter:
about 0.7 mm. Besides its size, the condition of the coin is of decisive significance
when it comes to measuring it. The exposed area of the Wschowa heller that we can
see in Print 2 shows a very altered image of the coin, this being the effect of corrosion.
Taking all of the above into account, the results attained in our metal research
of these coins need to be treated with caution. Taking into consideration our limited
ability to make changes to the coins, the fact that the coins are composed of a number
of different metals, and the method of research that was used, these results need to
be regarded as introductory. The data that we present here and our initial comments
on how this data can be interpreted not only provide us with direct knowledge about
medieval monetary standards, but this data and our comments also provide us with
material for further research in this area; at the same time, they also provide us with
instructions concerning how to interpret these data, which it is not always possible
to make direct use of.
A SUMMARY OF THE NUMISMATIC ISSUES
The research presented here has brought a great deal of new information regarding
both the issues of the coins and their metrological properties. Our knowledge has
significantly increased with regard to parvi of the Silesian style - of which there
is still much to be learned - struck in Greater Poland at the beginning of the
14lh century. Despite the fact that nothing in particular unites this collection of coins,
still, we have come to important new conclusions, especially with regard to the
coinage of Casimir the Great and even that of Vladislas the Ell-high, whose coins
are not represented here. In relation to the newest archaeological discoveries, the
new examples of what are no doubt pennies of Casimir and the information that we
have attained on their metal content open up the possibility of explaining what thus
far seemed to have been unsolvablc dilemmas tied to the coinage from the 1330s. An
examination of the metal, weight, and finds of the small kwartniks makes it possible
to look anew at Casimir’s monetary policy in relation to Prussia. It turns out that the
only penny type of Vladislas the Ell-high’s that is relatively well represented was
probably struck by his son, Casimir. Paradoxically, this enriches the image of the
67 The brochure titled “Tracer5i brochure.pdf’, retrieved on July 11, 2017, from https://www.brukcr.com/
products/x-ray-diffraction-and-elemental-analysis/handheld-xrf7tracer-5i/leam-more.html
68 GORGH1N1AN ct AL. 2013.
156
Tracer 5 i (Bruker)67 handheld spectrometer has a radiation beam with a width of
3 to 8 mm. For artefacts that are thinner than this, which includes coins, such a beam
would be too large. At the other end of the scale are pieces of equipment that can make
much more precise measurements, i.e. micro-spectrometers, which can have beams
with a diameter of 0.08 mm.68 The Spectro Midex used here has a larger diameter:
about 0.7 mm. Besides its size, the condition of the coin is of decisive significance
when it comes to measuring it. The exposed area of the Wschowa heller that we can
see in Print 2 shows a very altered image of the coin, this being the effect of corrosion.
Taking all of the above into account, the results attained in our metal research
of these coins need to be treated with caution. Taking into consideration our limited
ability to make changes to the coins, the fact that the coins are composed of a number
of different metals, and the method of research that was used, these results need to
be regarded as introductory. The data that we present here and our initial comments
on how this data can be interpreted not only provide us with direct knowledge about
medieval monetary standards, but this data and our comments also provide us with
material for further research in this area; at the same time, they also provide us with
instructions concerning how to interpret these data, which it is not always possible
to make direct use of.
A SUMMARY OF THE NUMISMATIC ISSUES
The research presented here has brought a great deal of new information regarding
both the issues of the coins and their metrological properties. Our knowledge has
significantly increased with regard to parvi of the Silesian style - of which there
is still much to be learned - struck in Greater Poland at the beginning of the
14lh century. Despite the fact that nothing in particular unites this collection of coins,
still, we have come to important new conclusions, especially with regard to the
coinage of Casimir the Great and even that of Vladislas the Ell-high, whose coins
are not represented here. In relation to the newest archaeological discoveries, the
new examples of what are no doubt pennies of Casimir and the information that we
have attained on their metal content open up the possibility of explaining what thus
far seemed to have been unsolvablc dilemmas tied to the coinage from the 1330s. An
examination of the metal, weight, and finds of the small kwartniks makes it possible
to look anew at Casimir’s monetary policy in relation to Prussia. It turns out that the
only penny type of Vladislas the Ell-high’s that is relatively well represented was
probably struck by his son, Casimir. Paradoxically, this enriches the image of the
67 The brochure titled “Tracer5i brochure.pdf’, retrieved on July 11, 2017, from https://www.brukcr.com/
products/x-ray-diffraction-and-elemental-analysis/handheld-xrf7tracer-5i/leam-more.html
68 GORGH1N1AN ct AL. 2013.