A very rare, one-sided print of a denarius of Henry the Bearded, which is listed at auction in Poland most likely for the first time.
It is a type dated 1201-1211, which Professor Suchodolski attributed to the Wroclaw mint in the context of the Głogów treasure (WN 3-4/1992). It depicts a ruler on a throne, with a raised sword, surrounded by the name of the prince in a distorted form - h[IR]DNI. This obverse is combined with reverses with depictions of an eagle and, in later years, an angel.
Iconography depicting a throning ruler is well known from the minting of the Piast dynasty. It appears, for example, on the denarii of Boleslaw the Curly (the type with a reliquary) or the bracelets of Mieszko. It is a clear symbol of power, the crowning scene of a coronation, especially when juxtaposed with the sword, which in the Middle Ages was among the insignia a symbol of strength and courage.
