Topics of coins
Bracteate of Mieszko III the Elder
Coin minting under the rule of Mieszko III the
Elder (1173–1177 and 1181–1202) opens a new
period in the history of Polish coinage – the period
of bracteates or thin coins struck on one side only.
They replaced the heavier, double-sided silver coins
which had been in circulation until then.
At the same time, the number of coin types
signifi cantly increased. More than 50 types are
attributed to Mieszko III. Di erent presentations
of the Prince, St. Adalbert and brutes, real and
fantastic, appear on those coins. Also coins with no
images at all, with inscriptions only, are known. It
is also surprising that the inscriptions on the coins
attributed to Mieszko III are not only in Latin but
also in Hebrew. This phenomenon is explained by
the fact that mints employed Jews, who also rented
mint income. The income was generated during
the exchange of coins carried out periodically. Such
a “ renovation of the coin”, which took place even
three times a year, explains the abundance of coin
types.
A bracteate with the image of a lion looking to the le ,
but with its head facing backwards, has been chosen
for the series illustrating the history of Polish coins.
It is accompanied by a circumscription along the rim,
which due to its form and content is totally unique.
A sentence in Polish, meaning “Polish King Mieszko”,
was written in Hebrew letters. However, since Mieszko,
as it is known, was not a crowned head, naming him
king means that in the eyes of the Jewish minters he
was a powerful ruler, outdoing minor local princes in
importance. In this context, we can guess that the lion
– the king of animals – impersonated Mieszko III.
On our new coin, the image of the lion from the
frame of the Gniezno Doors refers to the lion from
the bracteate of Mieszko III, while on the reverse, we
see a scene modelled on the paten which Mieszko III
donated to the Cistercian abbey in Lad. The images
depict the donor Prince (on the le ), St. Nicholas -
the patron saint of the monastery (in the centre) and
Abbot Simon (on the right).
Stanisław Suchodolski