Obv. +IOhANnES two annulets PRIMVS
+DEI two annulets GRATIA rosette of four annulets sunk twice on die REX two annulets BOEMI — the last letter (I) recut over E on the die. In the field, a crown with three (!) pearls.
Rev. *+*GROSSI two annulets PRAGENSES; lion rampant. A possible privy mark not legible.
Silver, 2.17 g, 28.6 mm. Missing from Castelin’s systematics (features of classes I and VIII). Grde III+. Slightly bent. On the Rev., adhered surface fragments of another coin.
Despite its very good condition, the coin is
much lighter than John the Blind’s Prague groschen (well-preserved pieces weigh
3.5-3.8 g). Errors in the legends of John's groschen are rare, but they do
occur on specimens not suspected of forgery. The lion, however, does not fit
the systematics by Hana, NS 2003 (it is relatively small, like class I, but its
forelegs are lower). The crown resembles class II, but has only three pearls
instead of five. The letters are elegant, but there are traces of the
inscription remake on the die, as if the creator was not sure what should be
written. Dies for very well-made Prague groschen were stored in Wrocław
(probably as evidence from a criminal case from centuries ago), and a set of
them was also found near Opava. They are usually considered genuine, but most
likely they were used to produce similarly well-made counterfeits.
