Here is an issue that has been stirring up collectors' excitement and contributing to scholarly debates for years.
Of great rarity, a single-figure brakteat of Boleslaw the Wrymouth.
This beautiful coin is clearly the rarer of the two types of new coinage in the Polish lands. Brakteates, the issuance of which Witold Garbaczewski describes as authentic milestones in the history of Polish money.
The beginning of the history of the group of brakteats, known as "protection", dates back to 1113. These were coins depicting a figure in a robe, with a pastoral, placing his hand on the forehead of a person kneeling before him. This type was probably minted until the prince's death in 1138.
In 1127, the first bracelets of the new type were minted - with a depiction of St. Adalbert standing in front, wearing a pallium, with a pastoral and an evangel. This is clearly a smaller issue, the reasons for which are attributed to the miraculous discovery of the head of Saint Adalbert - the martyr, patron of the Church and the Piast dynasty. This was a very important event, recorded in the chronicles, sanctified by special celebrations, as well as the issuance of coins, of which this brakteat is a representative.
This is a very rare coin, with unitary quotations over the years. This is confirmed, among others, by the research of Witold Nakielski (from Warsaw Numismatic Diary No.4). He notes in them about 600 brakteates with two figures, and only 11 pieces of single figure brakteate (including those not available to collectors, from museum collections).
Mint: Kraków (Gniezno?).
Representation: standing facing, a figure in a robe, holding a pastoral in his right hand, an evangelist in his left. Mirrored inscription in the rim:
+[S C S ADA]LBERIAS EPS et NIH translated as Saint Adalbert bishop and martyr.
