Władysław II the Exile as Senior Duke of Poland

denarius, type IV, Cracow mint (about end 1144-1146)

OBVERSE: A murder or fight scene. This motif is interpreted either as the assassination of Saint Wenceslas or as an allusion to the civil war in Poland that was taking place at the time. Variant with killer's head without helmet.

Pseudolegend

REVERSE: An eagle kills a hare. This is probably an allusion to the idea of the victory of good over evil. In medieval symbolism, the hare symbolised debauchery and cowardice. Marks in the form of wedges in the coin field.

Pseudolegend

NOTE: This coin is characterised by its originality of imagery. There is no analogy in medieval European minting to a scene depicting an eagle and a hare !!!

A beautifully preserved coin, with old patina.

Silver, diameter 13 mm, weight 0.54 g

- ex Rzeszowski Dom Aukcyjny (Poland), auction 16, lot 1569. January 2024. 

Literature: Stanisław Suchodolski, Chronologia monet Władysława II i Bolesława Kędzierzawego, „Wiadomości Numizmatyczne”, R V. 1961, z. 2-3.

Colección : POLAND - THE BEGINNINGS OF MINTING (UNTIL THE END OF 12TH CENTURY)