Centuries-Old Gold Ducat Discovered at an Ancient Dominican Monastery site in Poland
A man using a metal detector discovered a centuries-old coin from the Netherlands on the southern coast of Poland earlier this week, officials from the Museum of the History of the Kamieńska Land announced.
Polish resident Maciej Ruzik recently discovered a centuries-old Dutch gold coin with a metal detector while searching the site of the oldest Dominican monastery in Poland along the southern coast of the Baltic Sea. Ruzik is a member of the area St. Cordula Exploration Association and was searching the monastery site for artifacts. The remarkable find is a golden ducat from the Netherlands, dating back to 1777.
From the latter part of the Middle Ages until the 19th century, the ducat was a common trading coin in Europe. The most well-known variation, the gold ducat, was first introduced in Venice in 1284 and subsequently adopted worldwide. It contains approximately 3.5 grams (0.11 troy ounces) of 98.6% pure gold. Many featured elaborate designs and were universally accepted. Today, the Royal Dutch Mint continues to mint them annually.
The front of the ducat depicts a knight standing with his sword raised in one hand and several arrows in the other. The year is inscribed on the front, Verbiage translating to “In harmony, even from small things, great grow,” and the year is engraved on the obverse side of the coin. The coin’s reverse side bears another inscription that may indicate the province where it was issued.
The coin originated from the Republic of the Netherlands, which lasted from 1581 to 1795. Interestingly, it is the first coin of its kind found in Poland. While golden ducats were distributed in Poland during the 1830s, they featured a small Polish eagle in place of the knight’s head on the front.
Officials from the Museum of the History of the Kamieńska Land said that its discovery “proves the city’s incredibly rich history.” During an interview with a local paper, Maciej said that he was “very emotional” about the find. “It is a great discovery.”
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Kele Johnson is the Editor of Kovels Antique Trader magazine and the Digital Content Editor of Active Interest Media's Collectibles Group. Her captivation with collectibles began at a young age while dusting her mother’s McCoy pottery collection. She admits to a fondness for mid-century ceramics, uranium glass, and ancient coin hoards. Kele has a degree in archaeology and has been researching, writing, and editing in the collectibles field for many years. Reach her at kelejohnson@aimmedia.com.
