A 1771 semi-talar from a trial issue, not put into circulation, whose stamps were prepared by the royal court medallicist Jan Filip Holzhausser.
The issue was made in pure silver to prevent massive counterfeiting of Polish coinage at Prussian mints. Beautiful iconography, depicting a heated mint furnace under a sentence referring to the idea of new coins: VINCIT FRAUDEM - Counterfeit wins.
Although proof coins by design should be in mint condition, this rule does not apply to 1771 proofs. They usually appear in states that deviate from mint condition, and the reasons for this can be traced not only to the bullion, but also to the fact that the king decided to test how coins in pure silver would look and behave in circulation, as stressed by Janusz Parchimowicz.
This is a later minting with original stamps, as indicated by the weight of this piece. But minting with stamps still undamaged, without frequent cracks or chipping.
The coin of nice patina, with preserved light surface mirror, clear in the nooks and crannies of the relief.
A high denomination of a valued issue.
