Royal denarius of Bolesław II the Bold

The collapse of the early Piast monarchy in the 1030s resulted in the country ceasing to issue denars – silver coins that were the foundation of the European monetary system until the early 14th century. It was resumed in Poland during the reign of Bolesław the Bold (1058-1079), during which several types of denars, differing iconographically and consecutively, were minted. The series started with the discussed ducal denarius, minted most probably between 1069 and 1076, followed by two types of royal coins issued after the coronation (1076) and a denarius with St. John's head minted in Wrocław.

On the obverse of the ducal denarius, there is a head surrounded by the inscription BOLEZLAVS, on the reverse there is a figure of a rider on horseback. That is the first depiction in Polish numismatics of a ruler on horseback, which should be understood as a manifestation of the strength, nobility and, above all, sovereignty of the political power of the Polish duke. The images of the ruler are not accompanied by the insignia of royal power, which made it possible to establish the time of issue as the period preceding the coronation.

The circulation of the denars of Bolesław the Brave, issued at the Kraków mint, was limited to Lesser Poland. These were the first high-cost issues of coins in Poland, which filled the money market of the time. At the same time these denars were the first coins in Poland to contain a deliberate admixture of copper, gradually increased. They initially contained around 40% of silver. To hide the low quality of these coins, they were boiled in a solution of table salt and tartar, which led to the removal of copper from their surface, leaving only silver.

The described specimen probably comes from the hoard of Karczmisk, hidden after 1135, originally containing 4504 coins. The numerous representation of Bolesław the Bold’s coins in that hoard (over 15%) indicates that they were in use for several dozen years, until the end of the reign of Bolesław the Wrymouth (1102-1138).

Tomasz Markiewicz