BORATYNKA: COIN OF LITHUANIA
Boratynka (Solid), 1665: Grand Duchy of Lithuania
Coin of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania in the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth: "Lithuanian" boratynka (another type — "Polish" or "crown" boratynka).
Ruler: John II Casimir Vasa (Polish "Jan II Kazimierz Waza") — King of Poland and Grand Duke of Lithuania (1648-1668), titular King of Sweden (1648-1660).
SOLI MAG DVC LIT: solid of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania (Latin "Solidus Magnus / Magni Ducatus Lituaniae").
Coat of arms of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania as a part of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth ("Pogonia", Lithuanian "Vytís"): an armoured knight on a horse is holding in his hand a sword above head.
Above: crown from coat of arms of Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth; bellow: deer's head as a sign of the mint of Kaunas (at that time — Kowno).
IOAN CAS REX: John Casimir, by God's grace King of Poland (Latin "Ioannes Casimirus, Dei Gratia Rex Poloniae").
Portrait of John II Casimir Vasa.
Bellow: sign "G.F.H." (mintmaster Georgas Fon Hornis).
Kaunas /Kowno/ Mint (Grand Duchy of Lithuania).
- Copper: 16 mm - 1.3 g
- Reference price: 6$
COIN BORATYNKA — WHERE & WHEN (coins catalog: by names & emitents)
About the name of the coin boratynka: boratynka is the conditional name of copper solids of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth between 1659 and 1668, which replaced silver coins of the same denomination.
The vast majority of boratynkas bore the title of münzmeister /mint master/ T.L.B. (Tito Livio Burattini: Polish engineer; architect; traveler of Italian descent; tenant of the State Mint, who issued boratynkas).
There are two types of boratynkas: Polish (szeląg koronny or crown boratynka) and Lithuanian (szeląg litewski or lithuanian boratynka), which were minted at the mints, respectively, Poland and Lithuania.
The name of the coin boratynka (apparently derived from the name Burattini) was not official. Formally, these were solids. Sometimes the population used the term "szeląg" (some numismatic sources also indicate the name for these coins as szeląg boratynka)...
