Lithuanian Collectors Coins
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In 1495 Alexander (1492–1506) began to implement coin reform and minted modern half-groats and denarii. The reforms were continued by Sigismund the Old — in 1508 for the rst time he indicated on the half-groats the minting date, while in 1535–1536 the rst Lithuanian groat was minted. He also, for the rst time, depicted on the shield of the Vytis a double cross and nished creating the GDL’s coat of arms — Vytis. Lithuanian Collectors Coins 50 EURO COIN DEDICATED TO COINAGE Symbols of A particularly notable innovator in the GDL’s coin minting was Sigismund Au- GDL Land gustus (1544–1569). In 1545 in Vilnius, in Vokiečių street, he opened a modern mint IN THE GRAND DUCHY OF LITHUANIA where masters from Europe worked. Lithuanian coins came into demand, because Treasurers Gold Au 999 their silver neness exceeded by 20 per cent the neness of Poland’s analogous on coins Quality proof coins. Seeking to ease the excha nge of Lithuanian money into Polish, Sigismund Diameter 22.30 mm. Augustus minted coins of unusual denominations: half-denars, double-denarii, Weight 7.78 g GDL Land Treasurer Symbol double-groats, four-groats. He also minted half-groats, groats, three-groats, six- groats, thalers (30 groats). In 1545 he was the rst to mint a coin with his own por- The edge of the coin bears the inscription: Jan Hlebowicz trait, in 1547 — the rst gold ¡ orin coin in the GDL, in 1562 — the rst gold por- M O N E T A L I T U A N I A E M O N E T A L I T U A N I A E tugal (10 ¡ orins). In 1562 the three-groats for the rst time depicted the symbol of Teodor Skumin Tyszkiewicz The author of the graphic design is Liudas Parulskis Gabriel Tarla, head of the GDL Vilnius Mint — an axe. Later, the heraldic symbols of The author of the plaster model is Giedrius Paulauskis. the GDL Mints and treasury o¢ cials were mandatory. Mintage 5,000 pcs. Dimitri Chalecki Issued 2015 After the Union of Liublin in 1569, the coat of arms of the Lithuanian and Polish Andrzej Zawisza coins had to be uniform. This was done by Stephen Bathory (1576–1586). In 1580, Information is available at the Bank of Lithuania Tel. (85) 268 0316 when the Ordinance was issued, Poland’s Eagle and Lithuania’s Vytis were depicted 50 EURO COIN DEDICATED El. p. [email protected] Hieronymus Wollowicz TO COINAGE IN side by side. Stephen Bathory introduced a small coin of a new denomination — a www.lb.lt shilling, which amounted to 1/3 of a groat. The coin system that he created was THE GRAND DUCHY OF LITHUANIA Krzysztof Naruszewicz adopted by Sigismund Vasa (1588–1632), only he added the 1.5 groat, and repre- sentative coins of 1, 5, and 10 half-groats. Mikolaj Gedeon Tryzna The coin was minted at the UAB Lithuanian Mint A unique characteristic of John Casimir Vasa’s (1648–1668) coin minting — mint- Wincent Gosievski ing of in¡ ationary copper shillings, which was done at even six mints in 1660–1666. www.lithuanian-mint.lt He introduced coins of a new denomination – orts (18 groats) and half-ducats. In Lithuanian Collectors Coins Hieronim Kryszpin-Kirszenstein 1666 the Vilnius Mint was closed due to it being unpro table. © Bank of Lithuania, 2014 The coins were photographed by Arūnas Baltėnas and Stanislovas Sajauskas Designed by Liudas Parulskis Benedykt Sapieha The last GDL coins — six-groats — were minted in Königsberg and Moscow under the rule of Friedrich Augustus Sax in 1706–1707, during the Northern War. The publication contains photographs of coins from the collection of Domininkas Kaubrys, visual material from the personal archive of Stanislovas Sajauskas and the archive of the Money Museum Ludwik Konstanty Pociej of the Bank of Lithuania Prof. dr. Stanislovas Sajauskas Published by the Bank of Lithuania, Gedimino pr. 6, LT-01103 Vilnius Printed by UAB LODVILA, www.lodvila.lt It is believed that the earliest coins of the GDL are PEČAT-type half-groats, which Coinage in the Grand Duchy were rst minted under the rule of Jogaila Olgierdovich. One of their characteris- tics is the heraldic symbol of a spear with a cross. The accurately-dated Jogaila de- narii, on one side of which the double cross with shield is depicted, are associated of Lithuania with the wedding of the Grand Duke of Lithuania, Jogaila, and the baptism of the Fragment of The need for the Grand Duchy of Lithuania (GDL) to have its own coins appeared in GDL in 1386. The other side of Jogaila’s denarii can have several types of heraldic Jogaila‘s majestic the second half of the 14th c., when Algirdas beat the Tartar army of the Golden Horde symbols: a ruler on horseback, armed with a spear or sword, a spearhead with a seal with a at the Battle of Blue Waters and occupied Kievan Rus’. After this victory, a certain kind cross, a dragon. The latter two heraldic symbols are attributes of St. George, be- conquered of safety zone appeared between the Golden Horde and the West, the onslaught of cause after the baptism of Lithuania, Jogaila, who felt he was the conqueror of pa- dragon the Tartars into Western Europe was halted and trade routes from the GDL to the lands ganism, which was seen as being evil, in the majestic seal of the GDL’s coat of arms of modern-day Czech Republic, Hungary and Poland were opened. is depicted in the pose of St. George, while under the Vytis a conquered dragon and a spearhead are engraved. The GDL’s coin system. The oldest GDL coin system was matched to the Prague groat, which dominated in Western Europe. The Duke of Kiev, Volodimir Olgierdovich In 1382–1392, when the GDL was ruled by Jogaila’s vassal Skirgaila, whose per- was the rst to require his own money. He began to mint silver denarii, equal to 1/10 sonal coat of arms was the lion, denarii were struck with a lion, above which was of a Prague groat. The rst national coins, minted in the fourth quarter of the 14th c. depicted the symbol of vassal subordination and loyalty to the sovereign — a com- in the capital city of Vilnius — a PEČAT-type coin weighing 1 g., found in the Šančiai plicated “undoable” knot formed from a con guration of two hearts. The other side hoard — was equal to 1/2 of a Prague groat. At the end of the 14th c., due to in¡ ation- of the denarii depict either Jogaila’s personal coat of arms — a double cross on a ary processes, the weight and silver neness of the GDL denarii decreased together shield — or a crowned portrait. with the Prague groat, until the weight settled between 0.3 and 0.5 g. When Vytautas Kęstutaitis took the GDL throne in 1392, denarii with his dynastic Production technology of the GDL’s coins. The rst GDL coins were minted in symbol — the Columns of the Gediminas Family — were minted in large numbers. a primitive, manual way, by cutting the blanks from a silver sheet (half-groats) or The other side of the denarii also depicted a spearhead with a cross. Such a design chopped-o° and ¡ attened pieces of silver wire (denarii). At the end of the 15th c.–16th was chosen for diplomatic reasons. The spearhead with a cross, as a symbol of St. c., the Vilnius Mint began using screw presses and the particularly productive rolling George and Christianity, was meant to “announce” to all of Europe that the GDL presses. was a Catholic nation and that the aggressive German Order was acting dishonour- ably by calling knights to crusades into Lithuania even after their defeat in 1410 at Coin design. The earliest GDL coin designs are characterised by heraldic motifs. Grünwald. This goal was reached when Lithuania was recognised by the Holy See, Since they didn’t have any legends or, due to the small size of the blanks, the legends and with the 1422 Treaty of Melno the Nemunas River became the wall between couldn’t be struck, both sides of the denarii depict heraldic symbols, which are often Plan of the capital of Lithuania and the German Order. At that time in Lithuanian heraldry the spearhead the only source of information on the denarii. As a required design element, almost all Vilnius, 16th c. Copper with a cross was no longer used. At the end of Vytautas’ rule the GLD denarius coins of the GDL coins depict the personal symbol (coat of arms) of the ruler who issued the engraving by Frans with the vytis and Columns of the Gediminas Family for the rst time included a coin or a vytis — the ruler shown as a knight on horseback, with a spear or sword. The Hogenberg (circa fragment of a Gothic Latin legend — a monogram of the ruler’s Christian name th 16 c. vytis, depicted on a shield, became the coat of arms of the GDL — the Vytis. The 1535–1590), from (Alexander). Later, such a denarii design was used by Švitrigaila (Boleslovas) and Vytis, Lithuania’s coat of arms, still exists in our time and is one of the oldest national Georg Braun’s atlas Casimir. coats of arms in Europe. Civitates Orbis Tera- rum (Cologne, v. 3, 1581). Coin production with a screw press .