A very rare issue of the brother of Polish kings Wladyslaw IV and John Casimir.
The only 3 krajcars of the Bishop of Wroclaw Karol Ferdinand Vasa minted in the Duchy of Opole and Racibórz, which came into the hands of the Vasa family in 1645. It was part of the Warsaw Pact concluded between King Ladislaus and Emperor Ferdinand III.
These principalities were pledged as collateral for the outstanding dowries of Austrian archduchesses - the wives of the first two Vasa men on the Polish throne. As Tadeusz Kalkowski describes their history,"Władysław IV enjoyed the titles of Prince of Opole and Racibórz for only three years. After his death in 1648, both principalities were temporarily taken over by his brother, John Casimir, but, elected king, he handed them over to his brother... the bishop of Wrocław, Karol Ferdinand... After the bishop's death in 1655, the principality of Opole and Racibórz returned again to John Casimir."
Today the coins of Charles Ferdinand are rare. Much rarer than the prized three-coin coins of his brother John Casimir. Also due to the fact that after the Emperor bought the principalities, the Habsburgs banned the circulation of Polish money in Silesia, thus catching many of them out of circulation and melting them down irretrievably.
Silver, diameter 20.5 mm, weight 1.28 g.
