Silver half-a-kilo medal John of Luxembourg – Start of coinage stand

Silver half-a-kilo medal John of Luxembourg – Start of coinage stand

Stock state
January 2025
Date of issue
January 2025
Mintage
150 pcs
Estimated price
1,038.00 EUR
including VAT

Product description

The first Czech gold coins began to be minted in 1325. The majestic coin of the Czech Mint minted from one half kilogram of pure silver commemorates the creation of John of Luxembourg's florins almost 700 years later.

When an assassin's knife ended the life of the last ruler of the Premyslid dynasty, a battle for the Czech throne was unleashed. The victor was John of Luxembourg, but he had little reason to feel joy. He became king when he was only fourteen, inheriting debts and a rebellious country, and his wife was the self-confident Eliška Přemyslovna, who tried to restore the government in the spirit of her family. John was one of the true knights of the Middle Ages, who were brave and noble, and at the same time were not allowed to skimp on money. "If, believe me, the case should happen that he had a hundred thousand in the morning, he would have nothing in the evening, for he would give it all to the army and leave without a kreutzar. When wealth welcomed him, in the city, here it always happened that he spent and gave away until he had nothing to give to anyone, " wrote the poet Guillaume de Machaut. The mines of Kutná Hora did provide the Bohemian king with plenty of silver, but if he really wanted to dazzle, he needed gold coins. Only the most important trading centres in Europe at the beginning of the 14th century could boast of these, and the ambitious John did not want to be left behind. Inspired by the coins of Florence, Italy, he began minting the first Czech gold coin - the so-called florin. Florins were not paid for somewhere in the marketplace. They served mainly for the purposes of international trade and were also a representative symbol - they were supposed to show how powerful, influential and rich John of Luxembourg was. Unfortunately, many of them were not created because of the lack of gold resources in the Czech lands . Moreover, the high quality of the florins led to them being lost from circulation - they were melted down and hidden away.

The academic sculptor Zbyněk Fojtů dedicated the obverse side of the medal to a portrait of John of Luxembourg in profile. "I based it on the portrait by Petr Parléř from the gallery of St. Vitus Cathedral, which I added the royal seal," explains the medal maker. The reverse side presents another seal of John of Luxembourg - this time equestrian - which is overlaid by a pair of florins. The text on the obverse gives the king's name, JAN LUCEMBURG, and the life years 1296-1346. The reverse site bears the jubilee text 700. ANNIVERSARY OF THE FIRST CZECH GOLD COINS.

The majestic coin is issued in a mintage of only 150 pieces. Each specimen is numbered on the edge.

Specifications

Code
32129-730
Issuer
Czech mint
Author of the obverse
ak. soch. Zbyněk Fojtů
Author of the reverse
ak. soch. Zbyněk Fojtů
Numbered issue
Yes
Certificate
Numbered
Material
Silver
Fineness
999
Weight
500 g
Diameter
90 mm
Packaging
Wooden etui light wood
Capsule
Yes
Czech Mint
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