Gold coin John of Luxembourg - John the Blind proof

A three-part miniseries of gold coins from the Czech Mint pays tribute to John of Luxembourg. The final piece of this historical puzzle commemorates his epithet, the Blind.

For a medieval knight to succeed in battle, he had to maintain excellent physical condition. The Czech King John of Luxembourg was no exception. He had a well-built physique—muscular and athletic. Slowly but surely, however, his blue eyes began to betray him… Hereditary vision defects were not uncommon in the family of the Counts of Luxembourg. John’s father was severely nearsighted, and his uncles struggled with the same issues—a contemporary anecdote claims that Walram of Luxembourg tripped and fell on his way back from his mistress’s because he could see out of only one eye. John, however, refused to accept his fate, and although doctors’ options in the 14th century were limited, he began to address his health issues. A French physician failed in his treatment and, on the king’s orders, was thrown into the Oder River in a sack. John then summoned a specialist all the way from Arabia, but the man blinded him in one eye. The pagan quack survived only thanks to the king’s earlier promise that he would be allowed to return home safely. Scholars from the University of Montpellier offered a final hope, but it was precisely there that the monarch went completely blind at the age of 43. For a man in his prime, this was a devastating blow, and to maintain his authority, he tried to conceal his disability—for example, he would ask his servants about the color of the clothing worn by arriving guests. As a true knight, however, he refused to lie in bed and wait for the inevitable. When the opportunity arose to ride into the Battle of Crécy, he did so. He had the reins of his steed tied to the horses of his loyal comrades-in-arms and rode alongside them to meet a heroic death. By a twist of fate, he was killed by a blow to the eye…

The reverse side of the coin, designed by medallist Jiří Hanuš, DiS., depicts the final moments of John of Luxembourg as he falls from his horse at the Battle of Crécy. As with the previous two coins, the reverse side is divided into two halves. “The lower half, where John’s figure is located, is matte, so it appears as if it were immersed in darkness. The upper half is finished in proof gloss, which creates contrast and represents light,“ explains the author. On the obverse side of the coin, which is common to the entire mini-series, you will find John’s coat of arms and the Luxembourg castle of Vianden, which was both his birthplace and a symbol of power. Since the coins of the Czech Mint are issued with a foreign license from the island of Niue, the obverse side also bears its national emblem, the nominal value of 10 DOLLARS (NZD), and the year of issue 2026 - all incorporated into a Gothic design.

On the previous two coins, John of Luxembourg was depicted as a foreign king and a estranged husband.