First time at auction in Poland.
Huge rarity, the first crown shilling of King Stefan Batory.
A coin unheard of on the antiquarian market. Known from individual, mainly museum collections. Edmund Kopicki in Skorowidz listed it in only three (!) collections: Hutten-Czapski's (now in the MN in Cracow), Sobanski's (a hole, now in the MN in Warsaw), and Mathy-ego's 19th-century Gdansk collection (item 258 -RRRRRR- in the sales catalog of his collection). Janusz Parchimowicz marked them with an amateur price, without citing any auction listings.
Also absent from the four famous large collections sold between 1904 and 1932.
The 1579 shellac is one of the first coins of the Olkusz mint, located in that city because of the silver mines from which the bullion for the production of money was to come.
This type occurs only in this one year. It is characterized by the iconography of the reverse (eagle, instead of shields of arms), which was incompatible with the mint ordinance, which was to lead to changes in the management of the mint, about which T. Iger wrote:"Rafal Leszczynski, starosta of Radziejów, became the administrator of the Olkusz mint. His activity was short-lived, as the established iconographic form of coins was not fully implemented. All coins should bear the coats of arms of the Crown and Lithuania, the coat of arms of the king, as well as the coat of arms of the treasurer."
Many times rarer than the prized sherds with the Coat of Arms of the Batory family from 1580 (we sold such a sherd in st.2/2+ at 5 auctions - item 1145, price 36,000 zlotys + fee).
Recommended.
Silver, diameter 18-20 mm, weight 0.99 g
Obverse: crowned coat of arms of the Batory family between rosettes. In the rim:[rosette] STEPHAN D G REX POLONI.
Reverse: crowned eagle, facing left. In the rim: [rosette] SOLIDVS REGNI POLO 1579.
