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11/2 Grossus - Sigismund III Vasa Riga
| Issuer | Mint of Riga |
|---|---|
| Year | 1616-1617 |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | Log in to see details |
| Currency | Thaler (1581-1629) |
| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| Diameter | Log in to see details |
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| Obverse description | Log in to see details |
|---|---|
| Obverse script | Latin |
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| Reverse description | Central device features a cross surmounting an orb, within which the fractional value is indicated; below the orb appear the crossed keys of Riga, the city's heraldic emblem. The date is divided and placed in the fields to either side of the central device. A beaded inner circle surrounds the central composition, with a continuous Latin legend in the outer field identifying the denomination and issuing city. Pellet stops and abbreviation marks punctuate the inscription throughout, consistent with Riga mint practice of the early 17th century. |
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| Additional information |
Sigismund III's Riga issues of this period reflect the administrative tangle of a Swedish-controlled city being coerced into producing coinage for a Polish-Lithuanian king who had lost the Swedish throne in 1599. The Riga mint operated under municipal authority, and its relationship with Sigismund was perpetually fraught — the city's Protestant burghers had little enthusiasm for their Catholic overlord, and the billon quality of small-denomination output from these years reflects chronic silver shortages across the Baltic.
The 1½ grossus denomination itself was a short-lived experiment in the Polish monetary system, introduced to bridge awkward gaps in everyday transaction values.