Follaro of Svač — St John and the citadel
Folar Svača — Sveti Jovan i citadela
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loads {mb} MBMedieval civic coins of Ulcinj and Svač and Roman coins found in Montenegro — 3D models after specimens in other collections; the coin type is asserted, not the provenance of the specimen shown.
Description
The follaro is small civic change that numismatic literature attributes to medieval Svač (Shas), a town by Lake Šas near Ulcinj. The obverse shows St John the Baptist, patron of the town, holding a sceptre topped with a double cross, with the legend S IOHANES B. The reverse shows a stylised citadel, the emblem of the town, with a legend read in catalogues as CIVITAS SOVATI or SOVACII CIVITAS — “the city of Svač”.
The coin is dated to the second half of the 14th century: c. 1375–1400 in the literature, 1356–1392 in the Leu catalogue. The type is very rare, with few known examples. According to Miodrag Kirsanov, the follaro served local retail trade.
The 3D model was made after photographs of a specimen of this type: obverse and reverse were modelled separately, in full relief, and joined into a two-sided coin at true size (diameter from the catalogue, thickness derived from the weight). The model is a faithful three-dimensional rendering of the type, not a measured survey of the specimen; the relief height is emphasised for legibility. For 3D printing, obverse and reverse were prepared as separate models.
Technical drawing
Open PDF (A3) ↓Literature and sources
- CANU, Leksikon arheologije Crne Gore: „Numizmatika“ — https://leks.canu.ac.me/web/arhcg.php?OID=6909
- M. Kirsanov, „Folar — novac grada Svača“, Bankar 50 (2020), str. 82–87 — https://ubcg.info/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/BANKAR_Broj50_2020-10_WEB.pdf
- Leu Numismatik, aukcija 50, lot 4277 (16. jul 2024) — https://leunumismatik.com/en/lot/50/4277
