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Denier Bracteate - Mieszko III the Old Gniezno or Kalisz mint
| Issuer | Greater Poland, Duchy of |
|---|---|
| Year | 1138-1202 |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | 1 Denier |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| Obverse description | Enthroned frontal figure, presumed to be Duke Mieszko III the Old, depicted in regal attire with a crown or helmet atop the head, seated in a stylized throne-like posture. The figure holds what appear to be symbolic regalia, possibly a sceptre and orb, rendered in a flat, archaic Romanesque manner characteristic of 12th-century Polish bracteates. The field surrounding the effigy is open, with a beaded or dotted border running along the coin's periphery. The overall design is executed in bold relief typical of single-sided bracteate coinage, with a slightly irregular flan reflecting hand-hammered production at the Gniezno or Kalisz mint. |
|---|---|
| Obverse script | Latin |
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| Additional information |
Mieszko III ruled intermittently — driven from Kraków multiple times by rival Piast dukes and the nobility — making the attribution of his bracteate issues genuinely difficult. The thin, uniface fabric of these coins means surviving examples are almost always bent or cracked, and the Gniezno versus Kalisz mint question remains unresolved in the literature; Kopicki's attribution hedges accordingly.
The bracteate format itself arrived in Polish minting under strong German influence from Saxony and Silesia during the fragmentation period following Bolesław III's 1138 testament, which partitioned Poland among his sons and ended centralized coinage for generations.