SERBIA. Stefan Uros V, as tsar, 1355-1371. Dinar (Copper, 17 mm, 0.84 g, 6 h), a contemporary imitation. [...]p - [...] Stefan Uros V or horseback to right. Rev. [...] Ornamented helmet. Cf. Jovanovic (SMC) -. Cf. 12-4.1 (for prototype). An apparently unpublished imitation of a Stefan Uros V dinar. Areas of weakness and a flan crack, otherwise, very fine.


The precise origin and purpose of this interesting copper issue remain uncertain. Its design elements point clearly to the coinage of Stefan Uroš V. In particular, the combination of the horseman and helmet motifs, together with the letter p (a rotated ь) visible on the obverse, is known from dinars struck under his authority (Jovanović (SMC) 12–4.1).

At first glance, the piece might be interpreted as a fractional denomination - perhaps a debased half-dinar or a follaro. Yet this attribution raises difficulties, since the officially sanctioned copper coinage of Uroš V is confined to the coastal cities and employs a distinctly different range of types.

A more convincing interpretation is that the coin belongs to the imitative series associated with the period of the Mrnjavčević brothers (Jovanović [SMC] 12-47 ff.). While horseman motifs are well documented on these imitations (cf. K. Stockert: 1. Beitrag zur serbischen Münzkunde, in: Numismatische Zeitschrift 51 [1918], pp. 191–193), no parallel specimen has yet been identified that combines the horseman and helmet designs in this particular manner.