Batory's talars from the Olkusz mint in 1581 occupy a specific moment in Polish monetary history: the king had only recently reorganized the mint at Olkusz — a center tied to the rich silver deposits of the Kraków-Częstochowa upland — and output from this facility in the early 1580s was substantial enough to supply the Commonwealth's ongoing military campaigns against Muscovy. Olkusz-struck talars of this type are distinguishable by mint-master marks and show considerable die variation across the 1579–1582 run.
Kop#556 places this among a well-documented but genuinely complex group. Strike quality from Olkusz was inconsistent; planchet preparation at the facility lagged behind the Gdańsk and Poznań mints.
Batory's talars from the Olkusz mint in 1581 occupy a specific moment in Polish monetary history: the king had only recently reorganized the mint at Olkusz — a center tied to the rich silver deposits of the Kraków-Częstochowa upland — and output from this facility in the early 1580s was substantial enough to supply the Commonwealth's ongoing military campaigns against Muscovy. Olkusz-struck talars of this type are distinguishable by mint-master marks and show considerable die variation across the 1579–1582 run.
Kop#556 places this among a well-documented but genuinely complex group. Strike quality from Olkusz was inconsistent; planchet preparation at the facility lagged behind the Gdańsk and Poznań mints.