Serbian medieval coins

Map of the Serbian state after Prince Lazar Hrebeljanovic death in 1389, under the rule of his wife regent princess Milica, covering an area from the Mačva and Moravice on the west to the river South Morava on the east and from the mountain Rudnik on the north to the Vuk Brankovic and Konstantin Dragaš land on the south.

Regent Princess Milica Hrebeljanovic (1389-1393)

Silver "horns" type. 15mm, 0.598g.

Obverse: Ox-horned helmet facing to the left (heraldic symbol of the Hrebeljanovic-Lazarevic dynasty). Latin legend: CON ∴ TE LASA (KNEZ LAZAR) around.

Reverse: Christ facing and seating on the throne with both legs represented with 3 straight lines, holding book of gospels decorated with 4 gems. Latin initials: IC - XC (In Greek: Ιησούς Χριστός - Jesus Christ) above.

Reference: Unpublished.

Comment: Extremely rare and unpublished example of Prince Lazar coinage. It is believed that altogether 27 exist but this one is now first registered and published example with correct weight and size.

Interestingly this coin is very similar to buttons from Knez Lazar clothing that have survived to this day.

This clothing of Prince Lazar was the ceremonial uniform in which the relics of Prince Lazar were transferred 2 years after the Battle of Kosovo in 1391, only to be moved again during the Migration of Serbs near the end of the 17th century and later again during the WW2 under the threat of then NDH to Belgrade.

The fate of the clothing also reflects the fate of the Serbian people, it was moved and was in immediate danger to be destroyed several times during their history. Despite all threats, clothing and coins have survived for our enjoyment today.

Clothing is now safely kept and it is on display in the Museum of the Serbian Orthodox Church in Belgrade, Serbia.

Regent Princess Milica Hrebeljanovic (1389-1393)

Silver "scepter" type. 15mm, 0.502g.

Obverse: Crowned Lazar standing, facing, wearing long attire and holding small cross tipped scepter. Latin description: CONTE LASAR (PRINCE LAZAR).

Reverse: Large head of Christ in the middle surrounded by halo. Latin description: CONTE LASAR (PRINCE LAZAR).

Reference: Unpublished.

Comment: New type not in great condition and not particularly beautiful but still very rare and unpublished example of Prince Lazar coinage with natural toning and patina. Large N on both sides on reverse and obverse in the same place on the right side is best indication of the rare occurrence where the same description is being used: CONTE LASAR.

All coins with Latin description were minted after Lazar death in the first years after Battle of Kosovo in 1389. Reason for this was control held by the merchants of Dubrovnik and their decision to use their business language. Lazar's widow, Milica, ruled as regent for their young son Stefan Lazarević, Lazar's successor, until he was old enough to take over, as he did after becoming Despot in 1402.

It is well known that his son Despot Stefan Lazarevic 1402-1427 minted types with large head of Christ in the middle on reverse but this example proves that they are minted couple decades earlier and that Despot Stefan probably used his fathers design as a example for his own minting.

There are only 3 known coins of this type in existence and this is now first registered and published example.

Regent Princess Milica Hrebeljanovic (1389-1393)

Silver "scepter" coin minted after 1389. 15mm, 0.745g.

Obverse: Bare-headed Lazar standing facing, wearing long hair and long attire, holding small cross tipped scepter. Latin legend: CONTE • L ASARO (PRINCE LAZAR).

Reverse: Christ standing, facing and holding book of gospels, IC XC (In Greek: Ιησούς Χριστός - Jesus Christ) in the middle.

Reference: J 151, Jov 32-11, LJ (XI-17), I (24.8).

Comment: Very nice a rare example, beautiful toning and patina. All coins with Italian legend were minted after Lazar death in the first years after Battle of Kosovo in 1389. Reason for this was control held by the merchants of Dubrovnik and their decision to use language that they used for business.  Lazar's widow, Milica, ruled as regent for their adolescent son Stefan Lazarević, Lazar's successor, until he was old enough to take over, as he did after becoming Despot in 1402.

Regent Princess Milica Hrebeljanovic (1389-1393)

Silver "scepter" coin minted after 1389. 14mm, 0.737g.

Obverse: Bare-headed Lazar standing facing, wearing long hair and long attire, holding small cross tipped scepter. Latin legend: CONTE • L ASAR (PRINCE LAZAR). Flower on the right side.

Reverse: Christ standing, facing and holding book of gospels, IC XC (In Greek: Ιησούς Χριστός - Jesus Christ) in the middle.

Reference: J 151, Jov 32-11, LJ (XI-17), I (24.8).

Comment: Very nice a rare example, beautiful toning and patina. Also minted after Lazar death in the first years after Battle of Kosovo in 1389. 

Very similar to example above but with different face and missing letter O at the and of Lazars name and there is a flower moneyer mark on the right side on the obverse.

Scepter looks very interesting it seems to have two crosses, large one and small one on top of it.

Regent Princess Milica Hrebeljanovic (1389-1393)

Silver "scepter" coin minted after 1389. 14mm, 0.668g.

Obverse: Bare-headed Lazar standing facing, wearing long hair and long attire, holding small cross tipped scepter. Latin legend: CONTE LASAR (PRINCE LAZAR). Flower on the right.

Reverse: Christ standing, facing and holding book of gospels, IC XC (In Greek: Ιησούς Χριστός - Jesus Christ) in the middle. A bird or an angel and letter V on the right side.

Reference: Unpublished variant compare toJ 151, Jov 32-11, LJ (XI-17), I (24.8).

Comment: Very nice a rare example, beautiful toning and patina. All coins with Italian legend were minted after Lazar death in the first years after Battle of Kosovo in 1389.

Very unusual obverse with large head of the prince and on reverse there is an unusual bird or an angel and letter V on the right side. There are other examples with a bird or a animal on the reverse on Lazar coins but their are different andmostly found on the bottom left.

Regent Princess Milica Hrebeljanovic (1389-1393)

Silver "scepter" coin minted after 1389. 14mm, 0.755g.

Obverse: Bare-headed Lazar standing facing, holding cross tipped scepter. Latin legend: CONTE L ASAR (PRINCE LAZAR). 4 dots moneyer mark on the right side.

Reverse: Christ seating, facing and holding book of gospels and blessing with his right hand. Large Greek legend: IC XC  (In Greek: Ιησούς Χριστός - Jesus Christ) above. 4 dots moneyer mark on the left side.

Reference: J 151, Jov 32-11, LJ (XI-17), I (24.8).

Comment: Rare example like the one below. All coins with Italian legend were minted after Lazar death in the first years after Battle of Kosovo in 1389. Very prominent left arm with visible fingers. 

Regent Princess Milica Hrebeljanovic (1389-1393)

Silver "scepter" coin minted after 1389. 14mm, 0.6g.

Obverse: Bare-headed Lazar standing facing, with scepter. Latin legend: CONTE L ASAR (PRINCE LAZAR). 4 dots moneyer mark on the right side.

Reverse: Christ seating, facing and holding book of gospels, IC XC (In Greek: Ιησούς Χριστός - Jesus Christ) above. 4 dots moneyer mark on the right side.

Reference: J 151, Jov 32-11, LJ (XI-17), I (24.8).

Comment: Rare example, his son Stefan Lazarevic have later minted coins similar to this. All coins with Italian legend were minted after Lazar death in the first years after Battle of Kosovo in 1389. Reason for this was control held by the merchants of Dubrovnik and their decision to use language that they used for business.  

Regent Princess Milica Hrebeljanovic (1389-1393)

Copper "scepter" coin minted after 1389. 12mm, 0.301g.

Obverse: Bare-headed Prince standing facing, with scepter. Latin legend: CONTE L ASAR (PRINCE LAZAR).

Reverse: Christ seating, facing and holding book of gospels, IC XC (In Greek: Ιησούς Χριστός - Jesus Christ) above.

Reference: Compare to J 151, Jov 32-11, LJ (XI-17), I (24.8).

Comment: Rare copper example. All coins with Italian legend were minted after Lazar death in the first years after Battle of Kosovo in 1389. Reason for this was control held by the merchants of Dubrovnik and their decision to use language that they used for business.  This example could have been silver coated originally. 

Regent Princess Milica Hrebeljanovic (1389-1393)

Silver "scepter" coin of Novo Brdo. 16mm, 0.67g.

Obverse: Prince standing, facing, in loros and crown, holding cross-scepter, Italian legend CONTE LASARO (PRINCE LAZAR) around. 2 triple dotted marks, one on each side.

Reverse: Christ in glory, standing, blessing, legend: NOVOMONTE ARGON ("Silver of Novo Brdo") around, flower on the left side.

Reference: Jov 32.13.

Comment: Toned, typical uneven strike. Latin inscriptions were used on Serbian coins at various times either instead or alongside Serbian ones, for reasons ranging from practical to political.

Regent Princess Milica Hrebeljanovic (1389-1393)

Silver "scepter" coin of Novo Brdo. 16mm, 0.806g.

Obverse: Prince standing facing, in loros and crown, holding cross-scepter, Italian legend CONTE LASARO (PRINCE LAZAR) around. 4 triple dotted marks, two on each side.

Reverse: Christ in glory, standing, blessing, legend: NOVOMONTE ARGON ("Silver of Novo Brdo") around, large star on the left and a long flower on the right side.

Reference: Jov 32.13.

Comment: Toned, typical uneven strike. Latin inscriptions were used on Serbian coins at various times either instead or alongside Serbian ones, for reasons ranging from practical to political.

Regent Princess Milica Hrebeljanovic (1389-1393)

Silver "scepter" coin of Novo Brdo, minted after 1389. 15mm, 1g.

Obverse: Prince standing facing, with scepter, in loros and crown, Italian legend CONTE LASARO (PRINCE LAZAR) around.

Reverse: Christ in glory, blessing, blundered NOVOMONTE ARGEN ("silver of Novo Brdo"), stars to the sides. Standing animal or bird on the left and a star on the right.

Reference: J 154, Jov 32-13.

Comment: Lazar's son and successor, Stefan Lazarević, was granted the title of despot by the Byzantine Emperor. At least during his reign, Prince Lazar was probably venerated throughout Moravian Serbia, as well as in two monasteries on Mount Athos, the Serbian Hilandar and the Russian St Panteleimon, in which the prince had funded some construction works. During Despot Stefan's reign, only one image of Lazar is known to have been painted. It is in a fresco in the Ljubostinja Monastery, built around 1405 by Princess Milica. Lazar is represented there with regal attributes. His next image would not appear until 1594, when it was painted among images of numerous other personages in the Orahovica Monastery in Slavonia.

Regent Princess Milica Hrebeljanovic (1389-1393)

Silver "scepter" coin of Novo Brdo. 17mm, 0.885g.

Obverse: Prince standing facing, in loros, holding cross-tipped scepter, Italian legend: CONTE LASAR (PRINCE LAZAR) around. 3 dots and a plant on the left side.

Reverse: Christ in glory, standing, blessing and holding a book of gospels decorated with 5 gems. Latin legend: NOVOMONTE ARGON ("Silver of Novo Brdo") around, bird facing left on the left side. X and a star on the right side.

Reference: Jov 32 13.

Comment: Toned, typical uneven strike. Some of these issues have featured a bird on the left side most likely a stork. Stork in original Hebrew has a meaning of loyalty. Maybe here moneyer is trying to show a religious loyalty of the prince.

Regent Princess Milica Hrebeljanovic (1389-1393)

Silver "scepter" coin of Novo Brdo. 15mm, 1.013g.

Obverse: Prince standing facing, in loros, holding cross-tipped scepter, Italian legend CONTE LASARO (PRINCE LAZAR) around. A cluster of 6 dots on the left side.

Reverse: Christ in glory, standing, blessing and holding a book of gospels decorated with 5 gems. Latin legend: NOVOMONTE ARGON ("Silver of Novo Brdo") around, bird with a raised head on the left side.

Reference: Jov 32.13.

Comment: Toned, typical uneven strike. Some of these issues have featured a bird on the side most likely a stork.

Regent Princess Milica Hrebeljanovic (1389-1393)

Silver "scepter" coin of Novo Brdo, minted after 1389. 14mm, 0.7g.

Obverse: Prince standing facing, with scepter, in loros and crown. Latin legend: CONTE LASARO (PRINCE LAZAR) around.

Reverse: Christ in glory, blessing, blundered Latin legend: NOVOMONTE ARGEN ("silver of Novo Brdo"), stars and plants as control marks.

Reference: J 154, Jov 32-13.

Comment: Another example of post 1389 series. Lazar's widow, Milica, ruled as regent for their adolescent son Stefan Lazarević.

Regent Princess Milica Hrebeljanovic (1389-1393)

Silver "scepter" coin of Novo Brdo, minted after 1389. 15mm, 1g.

Obverse: Prince standing facing, with scepter, in loros and crown. Latin legend: CONTE LASAR (PRINCE LAZAR) around. 2 triple dots to the sides.

Reverse: Christ in glory, blessing, blundered legend NOVOMONTE ARGEN ("silver of Novo Brdo"), stars and plants as control marks.

Reference: J 154, Jov 32-13.

Comment: Another example of post 1389 series. 

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