Serbian medieval coins

Despot Lazar Brankovic (1456 – 1458)

Silver "2 lines" type. 11mm, 0.288g

Obverse: Serbian Cyrillic description in 2 lines: Λ • АЗ • ✶ 亗 ✶ • АPb • (LAZAR). Despot crown in the middle surrounded by 2 stars and 4 dots.

Reverse: Lion marching to the left. Serbian Cyrillic description: С М Е Д Е Р (SMEDEREVO) around.

Reference: Jov 43-2, J 43-2, I 48.2.

Comment: Extremely rare coin and best preserved example of the last despot of Serbia who minted coins. Minted in Smederevo, the capital of the Serbian Despotate. There are only 2 registered examples of this type but one is without data. In Jovanovic book there is a picture of one of those 2 in lesser quality, 11mm but 1.03g, more then 3 times heavier then this one what makes me think that Jovanovic did not accurately record weight of the example he saw. If that is the case then this one is the only one with the accurately recorder size and weight. I have only seen 1 more so that is only 4 in total known to exist.

This type is a unique design without despot title in description but with a despot crown in the middle. Lazar has a type very similar to his fathers coins, seating on the throne and holding a sword in his right hand, with main differences being description with Lazar’s name on the obverse and a crown on the top of lions head on the reverse what is not found on any of his fathers, despot Djuradj Branković, coins. That type similar to his fathers coins and this type are the only two types known that despot Lazar has minted in his short 2 year long reign!

Despot Lazar Brankovic (1456 – 1458)

Silver "sword and lion" type. 14mm, 0.834g.

Obverse: Crowned despot sitting on the throne and holding sword in his right hand and a globus with a cross in his left hand. Serbian Cyrillic description: ДЕСПО ΛАЗА • • (DESPOT LAZAR) around.

Reverse: Crowned lion marching to the left. Serbian Cyrillic description: • С М • Е • Д Е • Р • В О (SMEDEREVO) around.

Reference: Jov 43 1, J 43 1, I (48.1).

Comment: Extremely rare coin of the last despot of Serbia who minted coins. Minted in Smederevo, the capital of the Serbian Despotate. There are only 8 registered examples of this type and most have shorter description. In Jovanovic book there is a picture of one of those 8 with full description ДЕСПОТb ΛАЗАPb. This type is very similar to his fathers coins with main differences first being description with Lazar’s name and a crown on top of lions head what is not found on any of his fathers, despot Djuradj Branković, coins.

Despot Lazar Brankovic was the third and youngest son of despot Djuradj Branković and his wife Eirene Kantakouzene. Lazar was born in 1421 and died on 20 February 1458. George Sphrantzes recorded the date but not the cause.

Despot Lazar Brankovic (1456 – 1458)

Silver "sword and lion" type. 15mm, 0.832g.

Obverse: Crowned despot sitting on the throne and holding sword in his right hand and a globus with a cross in his left hand. Serbian Cyrillic description: Д • ЕСПО • • ΛАЗАP •  (DESPOT LAZAR) around.

Reverse: Crowned lion marching to the left. Serbian Cyrillic description: • С М Е • Е Р E • В • О • (SMEDEREVO) around.

Reference: Jov 43 1, J 43 1, I (48.1).

Comment: Extremely rare coin of the last despot of Serbia who minted coins. Minted in Smederevo, the capital of the Serbian Despotate. Slightly different from coin above, obverse has smaller sword and full rulers name and reverse has longer and slimmer lions body and smaller crown on the top of the lions head. Description DESPOT starts above rulers left hand while on above example it starts below rulers left hand. In fact letter Д appears to be above his hand a globus between despots head and a cross of the globus.

He was succeeded by his older brother, despot Stefan Branković but he never minted any coins. He was born in 1417 and died 9 October 1476. Ruled as despot from January 19th 1458 to March 21st 1459.

King Stefan Tomasevic took over rulership of Despotate for just few months in 1459 and ruled until it’s fall. His coins as a king and this coins of despot Lazar Brankovic are very important for any collection of serbian medieval coins as they are last minted examples wrapping up a long coin minting history starting with coins minted by prince John Vladimir in the begging of 11th century and king Stefan The First Crowned from 1217 does covering a time period of around 450 years.

There are only 8 registered examples.

Despot Lazar Djurdjevic Brankovic (1456 – 20 February 1458)

Silver "4 lines" coin. 14mm, 0.7g.

Obverse: Serbian legend in 4 lines: ГНb БΛαГ ОΛЗbα РБb (SIR PIUS LAZAR).

Reverse: Lion marching to the left with stars around. Sigla in the form of a star or a flower on his face.

Reference: Unpublished. 

Comment: Extremely rare and scarce unknown and unpublished until now example of Despot Lazar Brankovic. Lion is similar to his fathers coins but with obvious differences being bigger, bigger head and with longer tail.

Grgur was the eldest son of Serbian Despot Đurađ Branković and Eirene Kantakouzene. In 1439, after the Ottomans captured Smederevo, the capital of the Serbian Despotate, they appointed Grgur as governor of his father's captured estates. Because he plotted against the Ottomans, they dismissed him and put him in prison in April 1441. In May 1441 the Ottomans blinded Grgur and his brother Stefan. In 1458, during struggle for the throne of the Serbian Despotate, Grgur resurfaced claiming it for himself or his son. In 1459 he retreated to Hilandar Monastery, where he took monastic vows. Grgur died in Hilandar on October 16, 1459. 

Stefan Brankovic was born 1417 and died 9 October 1476. Ruled as despot from January 19th 1458 to March 21st 1459. Also viewed as a very last Serbian ruler in medieval times.

So the date of the minting is 1456-1458.

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