042-75 Denarius of Premysl II. Ottokar with St. Christopher – 2 pcs

Description

Denarius of Přemysl II. Otakar with St. Christopher –2 pcs – a tin replica of a unique coin, 23 mm in diameter, found in 2013 during excavations in the Israeli city of Acre. It features the oldest depiction of Přemysl Otakar II to date. What is particularly unique is that there is no Saint Wenceslas on the reverse of the coin, as is common on Czech coins from that time. Take a look at the production of this coin. Check out our Instagram to see how it’s made.

OBVERSE – OTACARVS REX BOEMO (Otakar, King of Bohemia), in the copy a monarch holding a scepter with a lily in his hand. Přemysl II. Otakar – The fifth Bohemian king and the greatest of the Přemyslid monarchs. He expanded the territory of the Czech kingdom to the Adriatic, supported monasteries and the arts. His knightly fame and generosity were known throughout the Christian world. In 1278 he fell in the battle on the Moravian Plain. He was followed politically and culturally by Charles IV.
REVERSE – SANCT CRISTOPHORVS (Saint Christopher), the copy shows the head of St. Christopher, the patron saint of pilgrims, travelers and helpers in need. According to legend, he was of a massive stature and wanted to serve the most powerful king. Once, with great effort, he carried a mere child across a river, who eventually turned out to be Jesus. The giant was baptized and given the name Christophorus, which in Greek means He Who Carries Christ.

The coins are struck from dies engraved by hand, using classic medieval technology, by medallist Vojtěch Dařbujan.

These coins were made for the film When the Lion Roars – a portrait of two important figures of the Czech Middle Ages: King Přemysl II. Otakar and the Franciscan monk Odoric, the son of a soldier from Otakar’s army, our oldest traveler. www.filmsvatos.com