Forgery of the 1609 epoch penny of Sigismund III Vasa, DESCRIPTION
Forgery of a 1609 penny minted for Sigismund III Vasa at the Cracow mint. An extremely interesting coin, as it was even minted with original stamps. The legend of the obverse and reverse, as well as the coin's iconography, is identical to the numismatic coins minted for the ruler at the Cracow mint. This allows us to presume that there is a very high probability that mint employees took part in this procedure. The forgery was most likely discovered (possibly through surface corrosion) and perforated in the era (this is how counterfeit coins were marked). Fragments of silvering were preserved on the coin. The workmanship itself was so good that in the era just after minting the coin was indistinguishable from the original numismatics. It could make a very interesting addition to the coin collection of Sigismund III Vasa.
Copper?, weight 0.96 grams, diameter 20.7 mm
