53 - Ducat coin, Vladislav I (Vlaicu), Wallachia, 1364–1377, silver, the first coin minted by a ruler of Wallachia, silver, Obverse legend: +MLADIZLAI WAIWODE Obverse description: At the centre, a divided shield, with four bars in the first quarter and the second quarter plain. Reverse legend: +TRANSA - LPINI Reverse description: At the centre, a helmet with a cross on the visor, surmounted by an eagle with its head turned to the right. The ducat of Vladislav I Vlaicu is among the first coins struck by a Romanian medieval state. Issued in the second half of the 14th century, during the reign of the son of Nicolae Alexandru and grandson of Basarab I, it marks the beginnings of Wallachia’s own minting and the assertion of the principality’s economic and political authority. Its distinctive iconography brings together the heraldic emblems of the Basarab dynasty, including the divided shield and the eagle perched on a medieval helmet—symbols of princely power and identity. The coin legends, inscribed in Latin or Cyrillic characters, record the name and title of the voivode, illustrating the cultural and political influences that met in the medieval Romanian lands. The striking of these coins, probably beginning around 1365, represents a fundamental moment in the economic history of Wallachia. By introducing its own monetary system, adapted to the currency in circulation in Central Europe and the Balkans, Vladislav I laid the foundations for a tradition continued by his successors, including Mircea the Elder. A true document of the beginnings of medieval statehood in Wallachia, the ducat of Vladislav I holds a place of distinction in Romania’s monetary history, serving as tangible evidence of Wallachia’s consolidation and political affirmation in the 14th century, d=16 mm, This lot is being classified by the Romanian Ministry of Heritage.