Hungarian Pfennig

In Autumn 2010, in the initial stage of the reconstruction of the Town Hall Tower, during archaeological works being carried out, a coin was found close to the Gothic arch. A small, silver and thin metal plate was subject to conservation works in Wrocław. The first person who managed to identify it was the director of the Museum of Old Commerce in Świdnica – Wiesław Rośkowicz. - „It is the Hungarian pfennig of 1525. However, it is not an usual coin. It was minted in the municipal mint in the period when it was managed by Paweł Monau who was the famous minter from Świdnica!

Hungarian phennigs were minted in Świdnica at the request of the Hungarian and Czech king Ludwik I Jagiellończyk. The above-mentioned coin was described by Heinrich Schubert in „Szkice z historii miasta Świdnicy” („Outlines of the History of Świdnica”): „on the face of the coin we can notice a four-field crest with Polish eagle above which we can notice the date of 1525 and at the sides – letters P M referred to as Paul Monau. On the reverse of the coin we can notice Madonna with the Child placed between letters L R referred to as Ludovicus Rex (King Ludwik)”.

The archaeological find turned out to be twice as much valuable. The coin was minted not only in the mint in Świdnica by the most famous minter but the Museum of Old Commerce did not have such a coin in its collection.

Source: The archives of „Tygodnik Świdnicki”