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Denga - Vasily II the Blind
| Issuer | Moscow, Grand principality of |
|---|---|
| Year | 1425-1446 |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | Log in to see details |
| Currency | Rouble (1381-1534) |
| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| Obverse description | Log in to see details |
|---|---|
| Obverse script | Log in to see details |
| Obverse lettering | К N |
| Reverse description | The reverse bears a multi-line pseudo-Arabic inscription filling the central field, rendered in imitation of Tatar Golden Horde coinage legends but without coherent Arabic meaning. The characters are arranged in horizontal registers within an oval cartouche-like border, faithfully mimicking the visual appearance of contemporary Islamic coin legends. This practice of incorporating imitation Arabic script reflects the political and commercial relationships between the Grand Principality of Moscow and the Golden Horde during the mid-15th century. The execution is crude and the individual letter forms are largely decorative rather than legible, a hallmark of this coin type. |
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| Additional information |
Vasily II earned his epithet the hard way: blinded by his cousin Dmitry Shemyaka in 1446 during one of the most brutal succession disputes in Muscovite history. The denga issues spanning his reign reflect that instability — production was intermittent, dies were cut by multiple craftsmen working without consistent standards, and the coinage circulated through a principality that changed hands more than once before Vasily ultimately consolidated control.
The Mets and Oreshnikov references diverge on attribution for several dies within this type, a disagreement rooted in the near-identical iconographic conventions shared across competing mints of the period.