Ducat

The reign of Duke Bogislaw XIV fell entirely during the Thirty Years' War (1618-1648). The contributions and maintenance of the imperial army, which occupied the Duchy territory in 1627, consumed huge sums. After the period of mass issues of low-value double shillings, the ducal mints in Szczecin and Koszalin produced only thalers, their fractions and ducats. They did not serve to improve the finances of the Duchy but satisfy the foreign armies' claims. Despite the critical political and economic situation, no changes were made to the state's minting system. In 1633, both mints made ducats with very similar graphic designs. For the first time, the main side featured the image of the Duke standing in armour, with a rapier by his side. Bogislaw XIV was presented in a representative pose as an ideal knight and ruler. It is worth noticing that military accents are visible, despite the tragic situation of the country, the Duke's illness and partial paralysis. The obverse of the coin refers to the Dutch model of ducats, which became popular in Europe in the 17th and 18th centuries. On the reverse, there are multi-field shields with symbols of the lands constituting the Pomeranian Duchy. It is where the iconographic similarity between Koszalin and Szczecin ducats ends. The Szczecin specimens are distinguished by the decorative finial of the coat of arms, emphasising the traditional heraldic symbol of the Pomeranian state and dynasty. The text in the reverse legend informs that this is a new gold coin with the current stamp and exchange rate, which was significant as lighter guilders were in circulation. The presented coin is not representative; the ruler's image is very schematic and not very neat, which is surprising, as skilled engravers were usually employed to issue gold coins. It seems that in this case, it was not aesthetic but economic reasons that were decisive. The issues were intended for the pay of high-ranking officers of the imperial army.

Genowefa Horoszko