#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

#Exhibit of the Month

August 2023

Panel. The State Coat of Arms of the Republic of Moldova

Authors: Gheorghe Vrabie and Maria Dogaru. Drawing: by Gheorghe Vrabie; original; 50 x 80 cm, collection of the National Museum of History of Moldova

The State Coat of Arms of the Republic of Moldova as a heraldic identity symbol of the new state is the result of extensive discussions attended by the press, scholars, plastic artists, politicians of all colors, as well as the broad masses of the population. This process started immediately after the approval on April 27, 1990 of the State Flag - the tricolor.

On May 1, 1990, the republican press announced the start of the contest for the development of the state coat of arms. More than a hundred scientists and visual artists participated in the competition, presenting around 130 projects. On May 12, the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet created a special Commission for the contest, chaired by the Speaker of the Parliament Mircea Snegur.

Following the Commission's decision, on July 18, 1990, the official newspaper "Moldova Socialistă" published 18 coat of arms projects for public discussion, which were displayed in the foyer of the Supreme Soviet building.

After two months of heated public discussions, on September 19, two projects, selected by the Competition Commission, signed by the painters Gheorghe Vrabie and Andrei Mudrea, were published on the pages of "Sovereign Moldova". After the support of Gh. Vrabie's project by the National Commission of Heraldry, Genealogy and Sigilography of the Romanian Academy in the meeting of October 23, 1990, he was joined by the Romanian heraldist Maria Dogaru.

In the meeting of October 30, the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the SSR decided to support Gh. Vrabie's project, and on November 3, 1990, the new state coat of arms was adopted by law.

According to paragraph 3 of article 12 of the Constitution of the Republic of Moldova, the State Coat of Arms has the following official description: "The State Coat of Arms of the Republic of Moldova represents a horizontally cut shield, with the upper part colored red, the lower part blue, charged with the head of bour having between the horns an eight-rayed star. The bour's head is flanked to the right by a five-petalled rose, and to the left by an outlined crescent. All elements represented in the shield are gold (yellow). The shield is placed on the breast of a natural eagle carrying in its beak a golden cross (crusaded eagle) and holding in its right claw a green olive branch and in its left a golden scepter".