Topics of coins
100 Ducats of Sigismund Vasa
The reign of Sigismund Vasa (1587-1632) was a golden
era in the history of Polish coinage. Various mints
were operating at that time as in addition to the old
facilities new ones were also launched, the most
important of which being located in Bydgoszcz.
All these mints were producing – with certain
interruptions – great quantities of coins of various
denominations. Minting, however, was affected by
the European economic crisis, as a result of which
the smaller silver coins were suffering from inflation.
The crisis did not affect full-value gold coins, however.
In this regard we are particularly interested in
a coin with a weight of one hundred ducats which
was minted in Bydgoszcz. The dies used to mint
the coin were prepared by the excellent Gdańskbased
medalier Samuel Ammon (1591-1622) who
came from Schaffhausen in Switzerland.
On the obverse he depicted a right-facing bust of
the King, without a crown and in a richly ornamented
armour. Under the bust the coin carries the medalier’s
initials SA and the date 1621. Along the rim there is
an inscription: ESIGISMVNDVS·III·D:G:POLONI·ET
·SVECIÆ·REXE.
On the reverse, beneath the crown, there is a nine-field
shield with the coats of arms of Poland and Lithuania as
well as Sweden and Gotland, and the Vasa crest (sheaf
of hay) in the middle. On both sides of the shield
there are the initials of the lessee of the Bydgoszcz
mint Jacob Jacobson van Emden: “II” on the left
and “VE” on the right. Above the crown there is
the date 16–21. Along the rim there is a continuation
of the legend: EMAGNVS·DVX·LITVAN:RVSS:
– :PRVSS:MAS:SAM:LIVON:ZC:E (Magnus Dux
Lituaniae, Russiae, Prussiae, Masoviae, Samogitiae,
Livoniae et cetera, i.e. Grand Duke of Lithuania,
Ruthenia, Prussia, Masovia, Samogitia, Livonia etc.).
It is the most impressive Polish coin, originally
measuring almost 70 mm and weighing as much as
348.3 g of gold. The issue was most likely ordered by
the King, who needed gifts for the most distinguished
guests and dignitaries. Only a few original coins of full
weight survived to this day. There are more lighter coins
preserved, weighing 90, 60 or 30 ducats, and even silver
coins weighing 10 or 3.5 thalers. All of these coins were
minted with a single pair of dies.
It is not surprising therefore, that this numismatic item
has been selected for our series to illustrate the history
of Polish coin in the first half of the 17th century.
The obverse of a modern coin depicts the reverse of
a historic coin and, in line with tradition, certification
with data concerning the new coin: the image of an
Eagle, the name of the state, the face value and the year
of issue. On the reverse of the modern coin there is
the King’s bust from the obverse of the historic coin,
and an inscription under the bust reads: 100 DUKATÓW
ZYGMUNTA III (100 ducats of Sigismund Vasa).
Stanisław Suchodolski