#Exhibit of the Month

The great ruler Stephen the Great, outstanding army commander and diplomat, was also concerned during his life with the economic prosperity of the country, supporting the development of crafts, trade and fairs. During his reign, groși and half groși minted in the dinar system were issued, a monetary system introduced in Moldova during the last reign of Petru Aron (1455-1457).

The coins were minted from silver of superior title, those that reflect stability in the economic life of the country at that time. Their masterful execution at the Suceava mint is among the beautiful artistic achievements during the reign of Stephen the Great.

During his reign, two types of issues were minted, for the two denominations: groși and half groși.

Type I issues have a split shield on the obverse; in the first quarter appears a rose surmounted by a cross and three fascias, in the second quarter. For the epigraph issues (groși), the image is accompanied by the circular legend with the name of the issuer: + STEFANVS VOIEVODA. On the other side appears the bour's head with a star between the horns accompanied by the heraldic furniture - the rose and the contoured crescent, placed to the right and left of the bour's head; circular legend: MOLDAVIE COIN.

On type II coins in the shield on the obverse appears a patriarchal cross (double) and the legend STEFANVSVOIEVOD or abbreviated STEFANVSVOIE. On the reverse, as in type I, the bour's head with heraldic attributes is preserved: rose right/crescent left and crescent right/rose left. A star or rose appears between the ox's horns. The legend accompanying the face with the bour head is MONETAMOLDAVI or abbreviated MONETAMOLDA.

The dating of Stephen the Great's coins is still under discussion. According to one opinion, type I issues were minted between 1457-1476, and type II between 1480/1481-1505 (Octavian Iliescu), and another 1465/1467-1475/1476 for type I and 1476/1479-1497 for type II (Ernest Oberländer-Târnoveanu).

The coins in this showcase were discovered during the archaeological excavations at Orheiul Vechi (Trebujeni, Orhei district) in the 6th and 7th decades of the 20th century:

1. Type I money issues, groși, silver
2. Type II money issues, groși, silver
3. Type II coin issue, half groși, silver

Virtual Tour

Exhibitions

„The Moldpress State News Agency – eye witness of the Republic of Moldova for 33 years”

June 20 – July 4, 2023

The Moldpres State News Agency is a self-managed news agency, founded under the decision by the Supreme Soviet of the Moldovan Soviet Socialist Republic (MSSR) No 122-XII from 20 June 1990, following the liquidation of the ATEM Moldovan Telegraphic News Agency.

The history of the present Moldpres State News Agency started back in the 1940 year, when the Moldtag Moldovan Telegraphic Agency was set up, based on a decision by the Council of People's Commissars of MSSR.

In 1990, when the process of national revival started, the Supreme Soviet of MSSR (presently the Parliament of Moldova) on 20 June issued the decision No 122-XII, thereby ruling to liquidate the Moldovan Telegraphic News Agency. The decision was signed by the then president of the Supreme Soviet of MSSR of that time, Mircea Snegur.

Following the liquidation of ATEM, the authorities in the same year founded the Moldova-pres National News Agency, subordinated to the parliament. Immediately after the creation, the Moldova-pres National News Agency established the first collaboration relations with the Rompres National News Agency (Romania), presently Agerpres.

In 1994, the Agency switched under the government's subordination and became the editor of the Official Journal (Monitorul Oficial) of Moldova. Subsequently, structural changes came about, aimed at optimizing the managerial activity and its renaming into Moldpres - a modern mass media structure with three main directions of work: spread of information of wide interest to the public, editing of the Official Journal and the photo-report.

In 1996, the Moldpres Agency became state enterprise, carrying out its activity in self-financing regime and afterwards in 2018 it was reorganized through its transformation into Public Institution.

The opening of the exhibition will take place on June 20, at 17:00, in the upstairs hall of the National Museum of History of Moldova, 31 August 1989 street, 121A.