Dinar Stefan Lazarević

Stefan Lazarević received the title of despot from Byzantine Emperor Manuel II in 1402, the year after the catastrophic Ottoman defeat of his father Lazar at Kosovo. That political realignment — pivoting between Ottoman vassalage and Hungarian alliance simultaneously — is precisely why his coinage exists at a distinct break from earlier Serbian royal issues. He was the first Serbian ruler to use the despot title on his coins rather than king.

The lightweight fabric reflects decades of Balkan silver debasement under wartime fiscal pressure, not a local minting shortfall.