Ducat

The minting of gold coinage in Europe was linked to economic development and the need of international trade. In West Pomerania, the first gold guilders were minted by Duke Bogislaw X at the turn of 1498/1499, but the ephemeral character of the issue was not reflected in the monetary circulation. The country, deprived of its own bullion base from the beginning of the minting industry (the 1470s), relied on importing precious metals and minting old coins and valuables. The poor financial condition of the Pomeranian rulers directly translated into a small scale of gold coin production. However, more numerous than in the times of Bogislaw X, Duke John Frederick's ducats are known only from two mintage years - 1594 and 1596. The coins bear the ruler's image in a half-figure, with a rapier by his side and richly ornamented knightly armour. The older coinage depictions found in the German and Polish minting might have been used as a model. Rulers were depicted as rex armatus (armed king), wearing armour and the most important attributes such as a crown, sword, and dominion apple. This image was transformed in detail but generally retained the original scheme. A similar image of John Frederick appears on thalers and half-thalers minted simultaneously, but it is difficult to determine the sequence of the individual stamps. The signs of the lands forming part of the Wallachian duchy (the County of Mimoň and the Duchy of Rugia), placed in the shield, indicate that the whole of Western Pomerania was regarded as a common property of the Griffin dynasty. The text contained in the legend of the reverse reflects religiosity and devotion to Lutheranism. After the introduction of the Reformation and the last Catholic bishop's death, John Frederick became the first titular bishop of Kamień Pomorski in 1557. The ducat is not signed, but the careful stamps testify to the engraver's great skill.

Genowefa Horoszko