The tymf — named after Andreas Tymf, the mint leaseholder who proposed the coin — was one of the more cynical monetary instruments of 17th-century Poland. Officially tariffed at 30 groszy despite containing silver worth roughly 12, it was state-sanctioned debasement dressed up as emergency fiscal policy, pushed through during the catastrophic wars against Sweden, Russia, and the Cossack Hetmanate that had drained the Commonwealth treasury to nothing. The population understood the swindle immediately; riots followed in several cities.
Kraków production under Jan II Kazimierz spans the Kop#1784–1786 sequence, reflecting die variations across the 1663–64 striking period. Tymfs were formally demonetized at face value within years of issue.
The tymf — named after Andreas Tymf, the mint leaseholder who proposed the coin — was one of the more cynical monetary instruments of 17th-century Poland. Officially tariffed at 30 groszy despite containing silver worth roughly 12, it was state-sanctioned debasement dressed up as emergency fiscal policy, pushed through during the catastrophic wars against Sweden, Russia, and the Cossack Hetmanate that had drained the Commonwealth treasury to nothing. The population understood the swindle immediately; riots followed in several cities.
Kraków production under Jan II Kazimierz spans the Kop#1784–1786 sequence, reflecting die variations across the 1663–64 striking period. Tymfs were formally demonetized at face value within years of issue.