The most beautiful piece of the oldest type of King Casimir half-penny we have seen at auction.
A very rare issue from the years 1456-1468 (falling largely during the Thirteen Years' War with the Teutonic Order). Characterized by the initials T (formerly attributed to minter Tomasz Trąbczyński) and M (probably mintmaster Stanisław Morsztyn) placed under the crown.
These half-pennies, the best in quality, were driven out of circulation after 1479, when the mint was taken over by Piotr Kurozwêcki. They were successively caught and melted down into much smaller and lighter halfpence with the Poraj coat of arms, popularly known as "thunderbolts."
Few pieces of these have survived to this day.
The present one is both beautifully preserved and minted. Centering coin, with mint luster.
Silver, diameter 21.5-22.5 mm, weight 1.43 g
