Here is a coin over which the great numismatists have argued over the centuries.
Considered to be a brakteat of Leszek the Black, the numismat appeared in collectors' circulation on the occasion of the discovery of the treasure in Pełczyska in 1844. According to one of the defenders of the coin's originality, Tadeusz Kalkowski (A Thousand Years of Polish Coinage pp.70-71), the treasure was then divided into several parts, but only in one of them were new types of coins of Leszek and Przemysław to appear. Types that soon thereafter began to suddenly appear in trade among Kraków collectors, being"the subject of profitable numismatic speculation."
Their originality was then questioned. This was the opinion of the purchaser of one part of the treasury, Piatkowski, which did not include these types. In his collection, Emeryk Hutten-Czapski referred to them as "invention moderne" (modern invention), doubting their origin in Pełczysk. A well-known researcher, Joachim Lelewel, took a different view, zealously defending the originality. Kazimierz Stronczynski was more balanced in his opinion. Describing them"Coins of Old Poland" within the group of"coins of denied reliability". Stressing that "if they are forgeries, it is extremely skillful, and with a thorough knowledge of things".
Today, there is a consensus among researchers of the first Polish coins. They are considered 19th-century, to the detriment of collectors, which Prof. Borys Paszkiewicz argues, among other things, are changes on the stamps, a different style, and a time mismatch with the rest of the treasure from Pełczysk (Notae Numismaticae volume V).
A very interesting value.
