Item number: A1837

Year: AD 1523

Material: Silver

Size: 15.3 x 15.3 x 0.4 mm

Weight: 0.65 g

Manufactured by: Kremnica Mint

Provenance: Fuchin Coin 2024

This is a denar silver coin, presumably issued in AD 1523 in the name of King Louis II of Hungary. On average, 96 silver denars were equivalent to 16 groschen, which equated to 2 thalers or 2 guldiners, amounting to 1 forint.

The obverse of the coin features the coat of arms of Louis II at its centre. The central escutcheon bears a crowned, spread-winged Polish eagle, representing the Jagiellonian dynasty, as Louis II’s grandfather was Casimir IV Jagiellończyk, King of Poland. The larger shield supporting the escutcheon is quartered: the upper-left quadrant contains multiple horizontal stripes, symbolising the Árpád dynasty, the founders of the Kingdom of Hungary; the upper-right quadrant features the patriarchal cross, denoting Hungarian sovereignty; the lower-left quadrant bears a crowned leopard’s head facing forward, representing Dalmatia, which is now part of modern Croatia and Bosnia; the lower-right quadrant displays a crowned, rampant lion, signifying the Kingdom of Bohemia. The shield is enclosed within a circular border. The inscription “1573” appears above, though it is likely a misreading of “1523” due to wear on the horizontal stroke of the numeral “2.” In AD 1573, the King of Hungary was Maximilian I of the Habsburg dynasty, who also reigned as Holy Roman Emperor Maximilian II, making it unlikely that a royal coat of arms featuring an eagle would have been used. Additionally, Louis II is known to have minted coins of a similar design in AD 1523, whereas Maximilian II did not. On either side of the shield, two dots flank a floral ornament in the centre.

The reverse of the coin depicts a full-length image of the Virgin Mary, crowned and holding the Christ Child in her right arm. The letters “L” and “K” appear on either side of the figure, where “L” is likely the mark of the mintmaster, while “K” represents the Kremnica Mint (Körmöcbánya in Hungarian). The Virgin Mary is one of the patron saints of the Kingdom of Hungary.

The Kremnica Mint, established in AD 1328 and located in present-day Slovakia, is one of the oldest continuously operating mints in Europe. Due to the region’s rich gold deposits, it became the principal minting centre of medieval Hungary. Between the 14th and 16th centuries, it produced large quantities of florins/forints and ducats, renowned across Europe for their high purity and consistent quality. Under the Habsburg monarchy from the 16th to 19th centuries, the mint continued to produce coinage for the empire. During the 19th century, with the advent of industrialisation, mechanised minting techniques were introduced, making it a key minting facility of the Austro-Hungarian Empire. After the establishment of Czechoslovakia in AD 1918, the Kremnica Mint became the country’s official mint. Following Slovakia’s independence in AD 1993, it continued to produce national currency and, since AD 2009, has been responsible for minting euro coins. Today, it remains in operation, manufacturing not only Slovak currency but also coinage and commemorative medals for other nations.

The Hungarian denar (denier, or denár in Hungarian) originated in the 11th century and was first issued by Saint Stephen I (AD 1000–1038). In AD 1467, Matthias Corvinus introduced a monetary reform that incorporated depictions of the Virgin Mary on the denar, and these coins maintained a stable silver content, making them widely accepted in neighbouring countries. However, following the Ottoman conquest of much of Hungary in the 16th century, the monetary system gradually aligned with Austrian standards, leading to the eventual decline and replacement of the denar.

Louis II (Louis II of Hungary, or II. Lajos in Hungarian, AD 1506–1526) was a monarch of the Jagiellonian dynasty who ruled Hungary and Bohemia from AD 1516 until his death in AD 1526. His reign was marked by the decline of the Kingdom of Hungary, increasing threats from the Ottoman Empire, and the eventual fragmentation of the realm. From the time of his accession in AD 1516, he faced internal noble conflicts and financial difficulties, rendering him unable to reform the kingdom’s defences. In AD 1521, the Ottoman forces under Suleiman I captured Belgrade, leading to the collapse of Hungary’s southern frontier. In AD 1526, Louis II led his forces against the advancing Ottomans but suffered a devastating defeat at the Battle of Mohács, where he drowned while attempting to flee the battlefield at the age of 20. His death plunged Hungary into political turmoil, resulting in its division into three parts: the central region fell under Ottoman control, the western territories became the Habsburg-ruled Kingdom of Hungary, and the Principality of Transylvania emerged as an Ottoman vassal state.

物件編號: A1837

年代: 公元 1523 年

材質: 銀

尺寸: 15.3 x 15.3 x 0.4 mm

重量: 0.65 g

製造地: 克雷姆尼察鑄幣廠

來源: 福君錢幣 2024

這是一枚應為公元1523年，以匈牙利國王拉約什二世之名發行的代納爾銀幣。平均而言，96銀代納爾等於16格羅申(Groschen) 等於2塔勒(Thaler) 或2金格羅申(Guldiner)等於1福林(Forint)。

銀幣的正面中央為拉約什二世之紋章，中央小盾徽為戴冠展翼的波蘭鷹，代表波蘭的雅蓋隆王朝，其祖父為波蘭國王卡齊米日四世·雅蓋隆契克(Kazimierz IV Jagiellończyk)。承托小盾徽的較大盾徽分為四個象限，左上部分的多條橫帶，代表創立匈牙利王國的阿爾帕德王朝；右上部分為代表匈牙利統治者的匈牙利雙十字；左下部分為戴冠的豹首，正視前方，代表達爾馬提亞地區，其位於今克羅埃西亞與波士尼亞境內；右下部分為戴冠人立的雄獅，代表波希米亞王國。盾徽以圓圈環繞。上方之「1573」，可能為1523之2，其橫畫磨損之故。公元1573年之匈牙利國王為哈布斯堡王朝的馬克西米連一世，即神聖羅馬皇帝馬克西米連二世，較不可能以鷹徽為王室紋章。同時，拉約什二世也的確在公元1523年曾鑄行版型類似的硬幣，馬克西米連二世則無。盾徽兩側各以兩點夾著中間的花型紋飾。

銀幣的背面中央則是聖母瑪利亞全身坐像，頭戴冠冕，右手環抱聖子。人像兩側「L」、「K」，應為鑄幣廠負責人的標記「L」，與克雷姆尼察(Kremnica, 或匈牙利語Körmöcbánya)鑄幣廠的標記「K」。聖母為匈牙利王國的主保聖人之一。

克雷姆尼察鑄幣廠(Kremnica Mint)成立於公元1328年，位於今斯洛伐克，是歐洲歷史最悠久且持續運營至今的鑄幣廠之一。該廠因當地豐富的金礦資源而成為中世紀匈牙利王國的貨幣生產中心，公元14至16世紀大量鑄造弗羅林/福林金幣(Florins/Forint)與達克特金幣(Ducat)，以高純度與穩定品質於歐洲聞名。哈布斯堡王朝時期(公元16至19世紀)，該廠持續為帝國生產貨幣，並於公元19世紀工業化後引進機械化技術，成為奧匈帝國的重要鑄幣基地。捷克斯洛伐克於公元1918年成立後，該廠成為官方鑄幣機構，公元1993年斯洛伐克獨立後繼續生產該國貨幣，自公元2009年起負責歐元硬幣的鑄造。目前仍在運營，除生產斯洛伐克貨幣，亦為多國提供貨幣與紀念幣，並製造紀念章與獎牌等金屬工藝品。

匈牙利的第納爾銀幣(Denier，或匈牙利語Denár)起源於公元11世紀，由伊什特萬一世(Saint Stephen I，公元1000-1038年)首次發行。​在公元1467年，匈雅提·馬加什一世(Matthias Corvinus)進行貨幣改革，引入聖母圖樣的第納爾銀幣，其成色穩定，受到鄰國采用。​然而，公元16世紀奧斯曼帝國占領匈牙利大部後，貨幣體系逐漸隨奧地利轉變，第納爾銀幣的使用減少，最終被取代。​

拉約什二世(Louis II，或匈牙利語II. Lajos，生卒公元1506-1526年)是雅蓋隆王朝的匈牙利與波希米亞國王(公元1516–1526在位)，其任內經歷了匈牙利王國的衰落、鄂圖曼帝國的威脅，與王國的解體。自公元1516年即位以來，他面對貴族內鬥與財政困難，無力改革國家防禦體系。公元1521年，鄂圖曼土耳其帝國的蘇萊曼一世攻陷貝爾格勒，匈牙利的邊防崩潰。公元1526年，拉約什二世率軍抵抗鄂圖曼進攻，在摩哈赤戰役(Battle of Mohács)中慘敗，他本人在戰場上溺亡於逃亡途中，年僅20歲。他的去世導致匈牙利王國陷入混亂，隨後被分裂為鄂圖曼控制區、神聖羅馬帝國/奧地利統治的哈布斯堡匈牙利，以及鄂圖曼扶持的外西凡尼亞公國。