Boratynki shillings of the Polish/Lithuanian Commonwealth
Tempo de leitura 3 min
A temporary quick fix for English wiki entry.
In regard to the Polish solidus/shilling the English Wikipedia entry is merely a stub. I can't fix that right away, but here's a quick and dirty translation of the Polish version.
To be edited later, and added as a better entry on Wikipedia.
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Boratynka (boratynek) - a popular unofficial name for the copper solidus / szeląg / shilling of John II Casimir Vasa, minted in the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth in 1659-1668.
History
The Second Northern War, or in Poland the so-called Swedish Deluge, caused a serious economic and monetary crisis in the Commonwealth. The state treasury was unable to meet its obligations, especially to the army. The then manager of the Kraków mint, Tytus Livius Boratini, proposed minting a small copper coin, which would have the official value of a silver shekel, or ⅓ of a Polish penny. The Sejm agreed to this project, even though the new copper shilling had no real bullion value of a third of a penny, i.e. 1/90 of the Polish zloty (at the time, 1 Polish penny = 1/30 of the Polish zloty).
The limitation set for the minting of copper shillings to 182 291 Polish zlotys at the Cracow mint and 817 708 zlotys for the Crown and 1 million zlotys for the Grand Duchy at the Ujazdów mint, opened in 1659 specifically for the minting of new shillings, was illegally exceeded by Boratini. He faced charges for this in 1662, when the Sejm ordered the minting of the shillings to be stopped. However, the continued troubles of the treasury meant that in 1663 the issue was resumed and extended to the Lithuanian mints as well, treating it as the only possible way out of the fiscal collapse and payment of outstanding salaries.
Counterfeit Lithuanian boratynka
From one pound (405 grams) of copper, Boratini minted 300 shillings, officially worth 100 pennies. 57 pennies were given to the treasury, the rest was taken by the lessor of the mint. Despite his huge profits, Boratini continued to cheat the treasury by minting coins beyond the quota. He was constantly accused of this until the Ujazdów mint was closed in 1666. The minting of copper shillings was finally stopped in 1668. The huge number of copper shillings put into circulation and their not very high quality encouraged counterfeiters. A forger was threatened with torture, having his right hand cut off and nailed on the city gate, and beheading. However, the prospect of a large and easy profit meant that there was no shortage of those willing to take the risk. It is estimated that forgeries accounted for about a tenth of the issue, totalling some 1.8 billion coins.
Called "boratynki" after the mint master Boratini, these copper shillings, which were official forgeries, helped the treasury get out of debt. However, they contributed to the monetary chaos in Poland (they were still in circulation at the beginning of the 18th century). For example, in 1664, for a ducat one had to give 195 grosze in silver, while in boratynki one had to give 270 grosze, or 810 shillings. Such a number of boratynki weighed more than a kilogram. Dissatisfied with their wages being paid in undervalued coins, the soldiers were inciting revolts, were more susceptible to the agitation of the king's opponents and willingly joined the Lubomirski rebellion (stopping the payment of soldier wages in boratynki was one of the rebellion's demands).
Nowadays, boratiynki are not held in high esteem by collectors either. Their price rarely exceeds a dozen, or so, złotys (~3.20 USD).
The well-known sayings ‘To know someone (something) like a bad shilling’ and ‘Not worth a broken shilling’ probably originate from boratynki.
Description
Crown boratynka
(mint in Ujazdów)
Crown boratynki have on the obverse the head of King John Casimir in a laurel wreath, an inscription. IOAN. - CAS. REX (Jan Casimir the King) around the head is punctuated with the letters T.L.B (Boratini's initials). In later issues there were also variants without the letters T.L.B and with differently spelled titulature. The reverse depicts a Polish eagle with the Vasa coat of arms on its breast. In the rim, different variations of the abbreviated inscription SOLIDUS REGNI POLONIAE (the coat of arms of the Kingdom of Poland), e.g. SOLID. REGN - POLON and the date. At the top, sometimes the inscription is preceded by a rosette or a dot, and at the bottom, the coat of arms of the Grand Treasurer of the Crown, Jan Kazimierz Krasiński - Ślepowron. Later variants sometimes had a different arrangement of the individual elements. These coins were struck at the mint in Ujazdów in 1659, 1660, 1661, 1663, 1664 and 1665 and in Kraków in 1659, 1660 and 1661.[1]
Lithuanian boratynka
(mint in Vilnius)
Lithuanian boratynki initially minted at the Ujazdów mint had an identical obverse to that of the Crown. Later the initials were changed. The reverse depicted the Coat of Arms. Below it was the coat of arms of the Grand Treasurer of Lithuania (originally the Crown Treasurer). In the rim, an inscription, divided at the top by a ducal crown, usually SOLI.MAG.DVC.LIT. (the shilling of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania) or similar and the date. There were variations in later varieties.
Lithuanian shillings were minted at the following mints:
Ujazdów (sign Ślepowron) - 1660, 1661[1].
Oliva (Snopek and Wieniawa mark) - 1663[1].
Vilnius (HKPL) - 1664, 1665, 1666[1].
Kaunas (Krishpin sign) - 1665, 1666, 1667 (dated 1666)[1].
Brest (HKPL) - 1665, 1666[1].
Malbork (HKPL) - 1666[1].
Footnotes
Cezary Wolski, Copper shillings of Jan Kazimierz Vasa from the years 1659 - 1667, Lublin 2016.
External links
See the entry boratynka in the Wiktionary
Virtual Museum of the Boratynka
