On August 5, 1772, the treaty of partition of Poland was published. In a hypocritical invocation of the Holy Trinity, Austria, Prussia and Russia, "having with regard to Poland pretensions and rights as ancient as they are legitimate, decided to step forward against them, to restore order within Poland and to give this country a political state more in line with the interests of its neighbors." It was the first of the steps that led to Poland's disappearance from the world map. An event of great importance, which has not lived to see many numismatic souvenirs. Here is one of them.
An uncommon numismatic item on the antiquarian market.
A gold-minted commemorative token made to commemorate the tribute of Galicia and Lodomeria and its incorporation into the Austrian Empire. As one of the enthusiasts of the period, Krystian Browarny, stresses, the tokens in gold "are unique as far as the Polish museum-collecting community is concerned". And this is confirmed by their individual auction listings.
In the archives of Polish companies, a 1773 gold token in the type with a coat of arms shield was listed only once. It was a piece in condition 3, sold at the Niemczyk auction in 2017 (for 19,200 zlotys!).
Here we are dealing with mint art!
Beautifully preserved. With a deep mint mirror background and lovely detail. Nicer than the one by Emeryk Hutten-Czapski, which is one of the few pieces in Polish museum collections.
