The two-thaler denomination was rarely struck at Gdańsk and functioned almost entirely as a presentation piece rather than a circulating coin — the city's mint produced these primarily as diplomatic gifts and council tokens of esteem. Jan II Kazimierz had just secured the Polish throne in 1648 following his brother Władysław IV's death, and the timing of this 1650 issue places it squarely within his early efforts to consolidate support among the powerful and semi-autonomous Prussian cities. Gdańsk, jealously protective of its trading privileges, had every reason to flatter the new king in silver.
Kopicki 7647 is among the scarcer documented die pairings for this type.
The two-thaler denomination was rarely struck at Gdańsk and functioned almost entirely as a presentation piece rather than a circulating coin — the city's mint produced these primarily as diplomatic gifts and council tokens of esteem. Jan II Kazimierz had just secured the Polish throne in 1648 following his brother Władysław IV's death, and the timing of this 1650 issue places it squarely within his early efforts to consolidate support among the powerful and semi-autonomous Prussian cities. Gdańsk, jealously protective of its trading privileges, had every reason to flatter the new king in silver.
Kopicki 7647 is among the scarcer documented die pairings for this type.