The Elbląg orts are, next to the Lwów orts, the most difficult to complete with vintages of Jan Kazimierz. Especially those dating from the end of this king's reign. Here is one of them.
Elblag orts of 1665. From the period of the mint management of Jan Paulson, active in 1665-1667, placing his IP initials on the orts.
The yearbook listed in the archives of Polish companies only 3 times! Two of them are from 1997, 1998. One contemporary is from the RDA IX auction (item 773 sold for PLN 29,500). All of them, however, come from different stamp pairs than the present one.
The coin is not described in Igor Shatalin's specialized catalog. With different cut of portrait, angel and decorative cartouche. However, in the case of these orts, already acquiring the vintage itself is an art. The aforementioned catalog illustrates 7 orts, all with the highest rarity grades of R7-R8, of which as many as four are from museum collections.
The coin is characteristically shallowly struck for this vintage, with a scarcity in the date area. Its provenance from the 1665 vintage is evidenced by the initials I-P, the cut of the cartouche with the shield and the angel, changed as early as 1666.
Rarity. Perhaps a rarity.
Historical background:
The times of John II Casimir represent a turbulent period of intense minting activity for Elblag, which begins in the first months of his reign. As early as 1650, when a minting ordinance is issued allowing the minting of denominations lower than the thaler and ducat, the city organizes its activities. In charge is minting entrepreneur Wilhelm van Ecke, with whom the city signs a contract. He mints the first coins back in 1650, and they are orts, from a small, probably trial, issue.
In 1651, the mint is already minting significant amounts of silver by minting full-value: bicorns, orts and thalers. The mint's activities cease in 1652, when no new coins are minted, although Nikolai Hennig is hired after Eck's death. The good coins minted at the time circulate for years as more and more foreign coinage of licentious silver appears in the country.
The situation worsens considerably in 1655, when the Swedish Deluge begins, reaching Elblag at the end of the year. After a siege of several days, the city is forced to capitulate on December 12, 1655, not escaping significant destruction. During the occupation, which lasted five years, the Swedes take advantage of the mint operating in Elblag, minting the Charles Gustav coinage, which was used to pay for subsequent warfare. Some of the silver for this issue was obtained from Polish coins fished out of circulation.
However, the Peace of Oliva of 1660, ending the occupation of the city, did not end the dire situation of the State's economy. After an attempt to save it with a sub-value copper coin, the Tymf-designed zloty is introduced. The coin is worth 30 pennies, although its actual silver content was a mere 12 pennies. Its mass issuance results in the regular fishing out of circulation of good, full-value coinage and the successive deterioration of Polish money. Hence, despite the use of at least several pairs of stamps per year in 1660-1667, these coins are today among great rarities, especially those from 1665-1667.
