57 - Groschen Coin, Stephen the Great, Moldavia, 1457–1504, silver, Obverse legend: *MONETAMOLDAV Obverse description: In the centre, an aurochs’ head with a five-pointed star between its horns; in the left field, a crescent turned outward; in the right field, a five-petalled rosette. Reverse legend: [...]STEPANVSVOIEV Reverse description: In the centre, a shield bearing a patriarchal cross with forked arm terminals. The gros of Stephen the Great represents the pinnacle of Moldavian minting in the 15th century. Struck during the second part of the great voivode’s reign, it stands out for the superior quality of its silver and the refinement of its heraldic designs, reflecting the princely authority’s concern to consolidate Moldavia’s monetary system. The iconography combines the aurochs’ head, the heraldic symbol of Moldavia, accompanied by a star, rosette and crescent, with the shield bearing a patriarchal cross, a feature characteristic of Type II issues. The Latin legends record the voivode’s name and title, as well as identifying the Moldavian mint. The introduction of this coin type, around 1476–1479, coincided with a period of major political and military change. Stephen the Great’s victorious campaigns helped increase the princely treasury’s reserves of precious metals. A particularly important episode was the 1473 campaign against Radu the Handsome, which resulted in the Wallachian princely treasury coming into Stephen’s possession. These additional resources encouraged an increase in coin production and the issue of pieces with a high silver content; some examples analysed have been found to have a purity of over 90%. The coinage of Stephen the Great ranks among the most valuable in terms of silver content in the entire history of medieval Moldavia, surpassing, in this respect, numerous contemporary issues from Central and Eastern Europe. A testament to the political and military power of one of the most important Romanian rulers, the Type II gros holds a place of distinction in the national numismatic heritage, illustrating Moldavia’s capacity to maintain its own mint in an era dominated by the great regional powers, d=14.3 mm, This lot is being classified by the Romanian Ministry of Heritage.