Replica of Boleslav II denar in ducat weight standard

Duke Boleslav II denarius replica (972–999) with identical weight as ducat was struck on the occasion of the 1000^th anniversary of death of this significant ruler from the beginnings of the Czech state. The expansion of the Czech empire of Boleslav I and II was accompanied by an economic boom which also mirrored in the area of mintage – rich and exceptional even by central European standards. The replica represents a denarius from the 990s struck by the pattern of Anglo-Saxon pennies of king Ethelred II (so-called ethelred’s type). This Czech coin was struck in large quantities and used primarily for long distance trading; similar to its Anglo-Saxon model it travelled especially to the Baltic area controlled at the time by Vikings. The gold version of the Czech denarius replica was inspired by an isolated notice about the existence of gold denarii at the end of the 10^th century in literary sources.