The coin - a legend. Undoubtedly one of the icons of Polish numismatics. Pieces found on the auction market are almost always 19th century replicas. They can be recognized by the characteristic features and cracks of the stamps. Original coins minted in 1577 are practically unheard of. Their rarity can be evidenced by the fact that they are not in any Polish museum collection. Jaroslaw Dutkowski, compiling the "Corpus Numorum Gedanensis" published in 2000, had never seen such a coin in person. Writing the book, he was forced to reconstruct the probable appearance of a ducat of the original issue. Three years after its publication, such a coin finally came up for bid at a Kunker auction in 2003. A piece in 3 condition was sold for 10500 euros + auction fees. If this seems a relatively small amount, it is worth mentioning at this point that at the same auction, a better-preserved 5-ducat donation of Danzig by Sigismund III fetched a price of 6500 Euro. The offered ducat combines all the features desired by collectors. It is a coin of great rarity, and at the same time it is preserved in excellent mint condition. This is probably the only opportunity to become the owner of an original siege ducat in mint condition.
In 1576, Stefan Batory, Duke of Transylvania, ascended the Polish throne. Gdansk, however, while defending its privileges, advocated the election of Emperor Maximilian Habsburg as King of Poland. We know from historical studies that the Danzigers were willing to recognize Batory, but in return demanded the annulment of "Karnkowski's constitution," that is, a set of regulations defining the rules of subordination of the city to the Republic. The new king did not yield and decided to firmly defend his rights.
The respected Polish numismatist Tadeusz Kalkowski wrote: "the rich, boisterous Gdansk did not recognize Stefan Batory as king. The king responded with repression - a ban on trade. The entire Vistula runoff was diverted to Elblag, and in the early spring of 1577 an 18,000-strong Polish army laid siege to the city, well prepared for defense."
The ten-month siege of Danzig, or, to put it simply, the Republic's open war against Danzig, brings us the first Polish siege coins, with which mercenaries defending the city were paid and obligations were settled. Thus began one of the most interesting episodes of Polish numismatics.
The minting of silver coins was initially commissioned to Kacper Goebel. However, he was quickly accused of fraud and treason. He was succeeded by Walter Talleman of Lübeck, who marked his coins with a jackdaw at the end of the legend on the reverse. A mint operated separately, where ducats were minted. An Italian, Gracjan Gonsalo, was responsible for the production of gold siege coins.
To avoid depicting the image of the king, the obverses of siege coins featured Christ and bore the inscription DEFENDE NOS CHRISTE, or "protect us Christ." Such a procedure had a strong meaning - it indicated the superiority of Christ over royal authority.
A well-known Polish proverb could be quoted - "If there is trepidation, it is to God." Especially since, in view of the shortage of bullion, church valuables were requisitioned and melted down into coins. This is how the statues of the apostles from St. Mary's Church, among others, ceased to exist. In any case, the minting privilege held and the presence of outstanding medalists meant that the coins minted in besieged Gdansk were characterized by a high degree of workmanship.
The battles between the royal army and the Danzig army continued until the autumn of 1577. The city was losing tremendously to stagnant trade, and Stefan Batory increasingly directed his attention to the imminent war with Russia. As a result, an agreement was reached in December. Gdansk paid tribute to the king and paid a 200,000-gold contribution. In return, Batory confirmed the city's privileges. The unruly city thus saved its independence.
After the settlement, coins minted during the siege were withdrawn from circulation. And given also the fact that the issue of Danzig siege ducats was rather small, today these coins are extremely rare and sought after by collectors.
