Silver Goldplated Pecunia Stud Earrings with Coin

When Sigismund III Vasa ascended the throne of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth at the end of the 16th century, succeeding Stephen Báthory, he took under his rule a vast realm covering nearly one million square kilometers. The Commonwealth was a major military and economic power on the European stage.

The creation of a new coin denomination—the one-and-a-half grosz—was driven by the need for an intermediate unit of currency for borderland trade. Thanks to the efforts of Henryk Laffert, the General Assayer of the royal mints, a new coin began to be struck in the Bydgoszcz mint in 1614. It came to be popularly known as the "brombergers" (from Bromberg, the German name for Bydgoszcz), "crown one-and-a-halfgrosz", or simply "zygmuntówka" (after Sigismund).

These coins were minted until 1629 in the Bydgoszcz and Kraków mints, using silver of 375 fineness.

The obverse features the coat of arms of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth: the Polish Eagle and the Lithuanian Pahonia, arranged alternately on a shield, alongside the Sheaf, the emblem of the Vasa dynasty. Beneath them is the numeral "3", denoting the denomination as three half-grosz. The surrounding inscription reads: “Sigismund III, by the grace of God, King of Poland and Grand Duke of Lithuania.”

The reverse bears a globus cruciger—a royal orb—with the number 24, indicating the value of 1/24 of a thaler. The surrounding legend states: “New coin of the Kingdom of Poland.”

The setting is a handwoven silver wire border, crafted with traditional artisanal technique.