#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

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Legislation

General provisions on the organization of museum institutions of the Republic of Moldova are set out in the Law on Museums No 1596-XV of December 27, 2002, which was subject to insignificant changes over the years. According to the Law on Museums of the Republic of Moldova, “Museums are non-profit institutions with a status of legal entity, which are registered in the manner prescribed by law”.

The establishment of museums is made with the prior approval of the Ministry of Culture. According to the law, in the country there are many categories of museums, depending on the content and value of collections: national, departmental, regional, private, city and village museums, etc. In the Ministry of Culture there is the Register of Museums, which takes into account all the museums of the republic, regardless of the category and type.

National museums are created by government decree, and all the other museums are created by decisions of the bodies, to which they are subordinated, according to the preliminary conclusion of the Ministry of Culture. The Ministry of Culture, in accordance with the law, ensures the implementation of the commitments made by the Republic of Moldova through the signing of international conventions relating to operation and protection of museums. Financing of the museums, which are in public ownership, is provided from budgetary and extra-budgetary funds in accordance with applicable law.

The Law on Museums establishes the categories of objects that constitute the museum values, which is inalienable. Cultural values from the museum collections of the country are included in the State Register of Movable Cultural Values created in the framework of the Ministry of Culture. Temporary export of museum values to the organization of exhibitions outside the country is allowed only by order of the Minister of Culture, in accordance with applicable law.

In 2011 there was approved the Law regarding the protection of national cultural mobile heritage (no. 280 from 27.12.2011). Given the development of contemporary museology, the approval by Parliament of the Law on the protection of movable national cultural heritage, the Ministry of Culture initiated in 2013 a programme of change of laws, including the Law of museums. Thus, at the request of the Ministry of Culture, National Museum of History has proposed a series of amendments to the Law of museums.

#Exhibit of the Month

Coins issued by Stephen the Great (1457-1504)

Legislation

#Exhibit of the Month