Definition

• In Bohemia under King Wenceslaus II (1278-1305) large Denarii were struck to take the place of the Bracteates and similar small coins in use all over Europe, which were insufficient to meet the demands of increasing trade. These new coins received the name of Nummi Grossi, i.e., "thick coins," a term later abbreviated into Grosz, plural Groszi (q.v.). They were rapidly copied by other nationalities, and the German Groschen, the English Groat, the Russian and Polish Grusch, and the Grote of the Low Countries, are practically synonymous terms.

  Their value in Deniers varied, averaging from four to ten, and sometimes even more. The Gros Tournois (q.v.) was the most popular of these, and the Gros Blanque and half Blanque of the Anglo-Gallic coinage were coped after them. The name was frequently abbreviated into Blanque or Blanc (q.v.), probably on account of their light color.

  The double Gros occasionally received the name Drylander and Vierlander (q.v.).

Quelle

• Frey's Dictionary (American Journal of Numismatics, Vol. 50, 1916)

Beziehungen