A Reassessment of the Attribution of the BB Dies of Sigismund III Vasa’s 100 Ducats Issue / Rewizja atrybucji autorstwa stempli BB studukatówki Zygmunta III Wazy (PDF, 6,8 MB)
Dariusz F. Jasek, Technical University of Ostrava, Faculty of Economics;
Polish Numismatic Society, Krakow Branch
ORCID: 0009-0005-9874-8635
A Reassessment of the Attribution of the BB Dies of Sigismund III Vasa’s 100 Ducats Issue
Abstract: The article addresses the problem of the authorship of the BB dies used for the 1621 gold 100 ducats of Sigismund III Vasa, traditionally attributed to Samuel Ammon. Through a detailed comparative analysis of the AA and BB pair of dies, including stylistic, iconographic, and technological features, the author demonstrates their fundamental differences in craftsmanship. Provenance data and the chronology of the appearance of coins struck with the BB dies, whose first confirmed specimens were recorded only in the 20th century, are also of crucial importance. The author has furthermore conducted a detailed analysis and classification of a recently recorded silver specimen from the collectors’ market, identifying it as a precisely chased cast, most probably dating from the 19th century. In light of the arguments presented, it is not possible to determine either the time of production of the BB dies themselves or their author; however, the coins struck with BB dies should be regarded rather as later products than of 1621, as suggested by the date they bear, which leads to a revision of existing attributions and a new interpretation of the entire issue.
Key words: 100 ducats, Samuel Ammon, die analysis, Sigismund III Vasa, Polish gold coinage
DOI: https://doi.org/10.52800/ajst.1.20.a10
Jasek, D.F. 2025. “A Reassessment of the Attribution of the BB Dies of Sigismund III Vasa’s 100 Ducats Issue”, Notae Numismaticae – Zapiski Numizmatyczne 20: 249–272. DOI: https://doi.org/10.52800/ajst.1.20.a10