Boleslaw III the Wry-mouthed (1107-1138), denarius, mint: Wroclaw, obverse: BOLEXSLAVS, crossed out letter S, reverse: S IOHANNES, St. John's head with pearl frieze.
A coin erroneously attributed to Boleslaw the Bold. In light of recent research by Vytautas Nakielski, it was minted during the reign of Boleslaw the Wrymouth as a Wroclaw princely issue. One of the earliest Silesian coins.
Diameter 12 mm, weight 0.62 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.
