Władysław III Spindleshanks Denar

Władysław III's denars were often struck with a simple cross and the ruler's initials, a design that doubled as a symbol of authority in a Poland splintered among rival dukes.

This made them practical for trade in an era when loyalty was as thin as the coin's silver edge. Minted likely in Gniezno or Poznań, these denars weighed around 0.8 grams, though exact standards varied with each batch. We don't know the precise mintage figures; records from that period are scarce, lost to time and medieval bookkeeping.

Spindleshanks himself—nicknamed for his lanky build—would have appreciated the irony of his coins outlasting his fragmented realm.