Serbian medieval coins

Nobleman Djuradj II Balsic Stracimirovic (Ruler of Zeta 1385-1403)

Silver "wolf helmet" coin. 19mm, 0.833g. Skadar mint.

Obverse: Balsic family coat of arms. Crowned helmet facing to the left crested with wolfs head. Wolf has mouth wide open with tongue out. At the bottom of the helmet is a shield with a head of a wolf in the middle of it. Latin legend: M D GORGI STRACIMR (MONETA DOMINI GEORGE STRACIMIR - MONEY OF SIR DJURADJ STRACIMIR) around. 

Reverse: Saint Stefan standing facing in mandorla holding a vigil lamp or a cresset in his right hand and a book of gospels in his left. Latin legend: SSTEFAN SCVTARIS (SAINT STEFAN SKADAR) around. Flower on the right side with a single dot in the middle and 8 dots around. 2 triple dotted pellets on the bottom. Double struck.

Reference: Jov 24 10 and 28 7, J 28 3, Lj XIV-2, I 28 2.

Comment: Extremely rare coin with a lovely natural patina, very well preserved and detailed with some small damage. 

Nobleman Djuradj II Balsic Stracimirovic, member of the Balsic noble family, was 4th ruler of Zeta. Unsure of his birth place and year but died in Ulcinj April 1403. He was the son of Stracimir Balsic, and succeeded his paternal uncle Balsa II in ruling Zeta. Name STRACIMIR on the coin refers to his father hence surname Stracimirovic.

This coin is minted while Djuradj II was ruling Zeta from Skadar from 1385 until 1392 when he lost the city. Konstantin Djurdjevic Balsic was ruling from 1392-1395 during constant fights with Ottomans. Then in 1396 Djuradj II gave Skadar to Venice to prevent it from falling into Ottoman hands.

After 1392 all Djuradj II and Balsic III coins are minted in Bar and saint Stefan is replaced with saint Laurentius because saint Stefan was a city protector of Skadar not Bar.

Dimitrijevic didn't publish this example. Jovanovic only has 1 in his 2012 catalog.

Only 4 registered examples.

Nobleman Djuradj II Balsic Stracimirovic (Ruler of Zeta 1385-1403)

Silver "wolf helmet" coin. 20mm, 1.059g. Bar mint.

Obverse: Balsic family coat of arms. Crowned helmet facing to the left crested with wolfs head. At the bottom of the helmet is a shield with a head of a wolf in the middle of it. Latin legend: • M BALSE GEORG II STRACIMIR (MONETA BALSE GEORGE II STRACIMIR - MONEY BALSE DJURADJ II STRACIMIR) around. Letter m on the right.

Reverse: Saint Laurentius standing facing in mandorla holding a vigil lamp or a cresset in his right hand and a book of gospels in his left. Latin legend: • S LΛVRE • • NCIVSM • (SAINT LAURENTIUS or SAINT LAWRENCE) around. 

Reference: Jov 24 11, J 24 8, Lj XIV-9, I 22 2, D 289 1,2.

Comment: Extremely rare coin with a lovely natural patina, very well preserved and detailed with some small damage. Holed. 

He is known in Serbian epic poetry as Strahinja Banović. It is unsure whether or not he existed, but some historians believe he was in fact Djuradj II Balsic Stracimirovic of Zeta, whose grandfather in law was Jug Bogdan.

Some researchers claim that this is first minting of his son Balsa III Balsic whos coins also have but shorter M BALSE GEORG description, that after his fathers death same moneyer who minted his fathers coins also minted this issue. While that is possible and its hard to work out all Balsic coins, our conclusion is that at very best this is possibly a joint issue of father and son, Djuradj II and Balsa III. 

Stracimir, Djuradj II father, died in 1373, 30 years before his grandson Balsa III Balsic began his rule so its less likely he would have coins mentioning him, a man he never met as he was born in 1387, 14 years after his death.

Also worth noting is that there are Skadar mint coins with saint Stefan on reverse, this is Bar mint where saint Stefan has been replaced with saint Laurentius.

Only 2 undamaged and 5 damaged registered examples.

Jovanovic published only 1 also holed and Dimitrijevic published 2, 1 is same one as published by Jovanovic, both also holed.

Fresco of Djuradj II Balsic from Beška Monastery on the island of Beška in Lake Skadar near Starčevo below right.

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