King Tvrtko II ruled the Bosnian kingdom in the first half of the 15th century and had reigned twice. The first period of reign lasted from 1404 to 1409, and the second was from 1420 up to 1443. He left visible traces in the history of medieval Bosnia on political, economic and cultural levels. Quite a while had passed after using Venetian coins and coins from Dubrovnik in Bosnia, when King Tvrtko II had begun making his own coins. He endeavored to increase the royal income, amongst other things, reconstructing the mint that was assumed to be in central Bosnia. In this area, many essential mining centers were located, the largest suppliers of mint silver mines: Dusina, Ostružnica, Deževica and Fojnica.
Three types of Tvrtko's coins were familiar: the groat, dinar, and semi dinar. The groat belongs to the largest mint coin with a radius of 2,5 to 2,7 cm. This coin represents also a typological innovation in the Bosnian mint. The practice of having the ruler's face on one side with the face of Jesus Christ on the other side was abandoned. King Tvrtko’s coin showed on the front side the kingdom's title and coat of arms, and on the back side the figure of Saint Gregory of Nazianzus.
On the stamps are displayed the dinar and groat that are exhibited in the Franciscan Museum of the Monastery of the Holy Spirit in Fojnica.
(Željka Šaravanja)
