Boleslaw III the Wrymouth (1107-1138), denarius, mint: Wroclaw, obverse: BOLEXSLAVS, crossed out letter S, reverse: S IOHANNES, head of St. John with pearl hairdo.
Coin erroneously attributed to Boleslaw the Bold. In light of recent research by Witold Nakielski, it was minted during the reign of Boleslaw the Wrymouth as a Wroclaw ducal issue. One of the earliest Silesian coins.
Chipped disc.
Weight 0.38 g
Boleslaw the Wrymouth was the first among the rulers of medieval Poland to start implementing the policy of renovatio monetae. It consisted of exchanging the common type of denarius for a new one. This exchange was beneficial to the ruler. The difference in silver, which the prince took over, was in practice a tax that the subjects had to pay, as the exchange was mandatory. During the reign of the Wrymouth, four types of bilateral denarii were minted (type I - a prince standing upright, type II - a prince on majesty (on a throne), type III - a prince with St. Adalbert, and type IV - a prince slaying a dragon). In addition, Boleslaw the Wry-mouthed began - again as the first - to issue bracteates (type I - St. Adalbert alone, type II a - St. Adalbert an face and kneeling Boleslaw, type II b - St. Adalbert in profile and kneeling Boleslaw). A contemporary hypothesis is put forward that these bracteates were not commemorative coins as previously assumed, but were part of a monetary reform (earlier denarii were to be exchanged for bracteates). Thus, they were normal circulation coins. In addition to nationwide issues, Boleslaw the Wrymouth also minted denarii for Silesia.
