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Grosz koronny - Stefan Batory Olkusz mint
| Issuer | Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth |
|---|---|
| Year | 1579-1582 |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| Diameter | Log in to see details |
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| Orientation | Medal alignment ↑↑ |
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| Obverse description | Log in to see details |
|---|---|
| Obverse script | Latin |
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| Reverse description | Crowned Polish eagle displayed with wings spread, shown in low relief at the center of the coin's field, with a shield bearing the Bathory family arms on its breast. The eagle is surrounded by a circular Latin legend reading GROSSVS NO REG POLO followed by the date, all contained within a rope-like inner border. The design is characteristic of the Polish Crown grosz type issued under Stefan Batory, with the date of issue appearing within the peripheral legend. The overall execution reflects the hammered coinage tradition of the late sixteenth century. |
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| Additional information |
Batory's grosz issues from Olkusz were made possible by the reopening of the Olkusz silver mines in the late 1570s — mines that had fallen into disuse during the preceding decades of mismanagement and flooding. The Crown needed the mint, and the mint needed the ore; the timing was tight enough that production at Olkusz ran parallel to Poznań and Gdańsk to meet demand from a kingdom still consolidating after the chaos of the Jagiellon succession crisis.
The Kop#490–494 range reflects meaningful die variation across the four-year run, not merely catalogue housekeeping. Collectors working this series distinguish issues by the form of the crown above the shield and the spacing of the legend — differences rooted in the use of multiple die cutters working under the mint master Kasper Rymer.