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Trojak / 3 Grosze - Sigismund III Vasa Bydgoszcz, Lewart arms, B mint mark
| Issuer | Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth |
|---|---|
| Year | 1598-1601 |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | Log in to see details |
| Currency | First Zloty (1573-1795) |
| Composition | Log in to see details |
| Weight | Log in to see details |
| Diameter | Log in to see details |
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| Obverse description | Log in to see details |
|---|---|
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| Reverse description | The reverse displays a central heraldic composition arranged in two horizontal registers. In the upper register, the Roman numeral III (denomination) appears above a crowned shield bearing the Vasa arms (sheaf), flanked to the left by the Polish eagle and to the right by the Lithuanian mounted knight (Pahonia). In the lower register, a two-line inscription reading GROS ARG / TRI R PO occupies the field, with the two-digit date (e.g. 99 for 1599) flanking the Lewart (Borzuja) arms shield, accompanied by the Bydgoszcz mint mark B. The overall design is characteristic of the Polish trojak series struck under Sigismund III Vasa. |
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| Reverse lettering | III GROS ARG TRI R PO 99 (_) B (Translation: Silver three grossus of the Kingdom of Poland) |
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| Additional information |
The Bydgoszcz mint operated under lease arrangements throughout much of Sigismund III's reign, with minting rights periodically farmed out to private contractors who were expected to meet weight and fineness standards they had every financial incentive to quietly ignore. The trojak — three grosze — was the workhorse denomination of Commonwealth daily commerce, and Bydgoszcz production during these four years was substantial enough that die varieties proliferate across surviving examples.
The Lewart arms appearing here reflect Sigismund's dynastic connection to the Vasa house, incorporated into the royal arms after his Swedish succession claim of 1587. That claim remained actively contested through this entire period, with Sweden and the Commonwealth in intermittent conflict over it well into the following century.