A hoard of the Prague grossi from Stará Boleslav (Praha-východ district) II

Abstract

In connection with the earlier article published in 2012 which discussed the hoard of 57 Prague grossi discovered between March 2010 and May 2012 in the field to the north of Stará Boleslav – a historical city and a pilgrimage place situated about 20km to the north-east of Prague – the author presents the missing part of the hoard which was not published in the original article. It includes twelve Prague grossi and four parvi struck under John of Luxembourg. With these additional coins, the entire hoard covers thirteen previously known varieties of the Prague grossi and adds one new variety (no. 11 in the survey table). In order to determine the approximate burial date of the hoard, the author takes into account the assumed production period of the latest variety – Castelin VIII. 47 – and concludes that the hoard could have been buried at some point during the late 1340s or early 1350s. As for the actual reason of depositing, common form of money thesaurisation is assumed, most likely by a resident of Stará Boleslav or a pilgrim visiting the town. At the time of the assumed depositing, the place had already played a role of an important pilgrimage centre for several centuries.