A six-grosz coin that bears witness to Poland’s turbulent history. It was an eyewitness to the struggles of Augustus the Strong, who was forced to abdicate the Polish crown in favor of Stanisław Leszczyński.
The 1706 LP six-groschen coins were issued to pay the troops of the Saxon faction stationed in Lithuania. King Augustus’s supporters—Ludwik Pociej, Grand Treasurer of Lithuania, and the Russians—were responsible for their issuance.
The coin was struck in Moscow (formerly erroneously attributed to the mint in Grodno), as this was not possible at the time in either the Crown or Lithuania. The reverse features Ludwik Pociej’s “Waga” coat of arms and his initials (L-P), which were mockingly interpreted at the time as “Ludu Płacz” (“The People Weep”), due to the coin’s rapid withdrawal from circulation and the losses suffered by Augustus’s supporters.
Dark patina, with localized surface soiling.
A rare and very interesting coin.
The coin comes from the outstanding contemporary collection of Zbiór.com and is illustrated on its website.
Ex. J. Pedersen Mynthandel 11.2004.
