Jan Videman , Moravské denáry 10.–12. století. Sbírka Pavel Šťastný III

Pavel Šťasný was one of the most prominent figures in the community of Czech and Moravian coin collectors over the past few decades. Since his student days, he had been building a collection of medieval issues, focusing on coins from the 10th to the 13th century. Through concentrated interest, a passion for collecting, and significant financial resources, he managed to create a completely unique collection of Czech and Moravian denarii and bracteates, which constitutes the most important collection of issues from the Czech state from the 10th to the 13th century ever assembled. In addition to a complete collection of more common issues, it includes a number of monetary types and variants known in single or very few examples. He also prioritized including high-quality minted coins in good condition in his collection.

With his friends, he could talk about numismatics for long hours. On the other hand, the constant burden of work did not allow him to dedicate enough time to his collection and its organization. He was all the more looking forward to a well-deserved retirement. He was aware of the research significance of his collection and planned to scientifically prepare it for a broader numismatic audience in the form of a publication. Unfortunately, fate did not grant him enough time to realize his plan. He passed away prematurely in 2022. After his death, his life’s work was taken over by his wife, Dana. Aware of the uniqueness and importance of the collection, she agreed to publish the collection in the form of an edition, to which she significantly contributed to its creation.

Currently, the third volume of the edition is being released, which covers Moravian denarii from the 10th to the 12th century. The typical layout is based on Cachy’s typology, but it has been adjusted according to numismatic research from the past fifty years. Among the Moravian issues, numerous denarii and obols appear for the first time, which had previously been classified in publications as Czech issues. The catalog of Šťastný’s collection also includes several denarii that earlier studies of Moravian coinage by Cachy (1970, 1972) and Videman and Paukert (2009) were not aware of. Compared to older works, many basic types have been clearly organized into variants. All coins are published in the form of enlarged, high-quality photographs and are described in detail. A practical part of the publication includes comparative tables to Cachy’s typology and that of Videman and Paukert. Cachy’s pen drawings are reproduced in full range. The text is authored by Jan Videman, a specialist in Moravian coinage. The book was published by Abalon in collaboration with the auction house Macho & Chlapovič and the Czech Numismatic Society. Alongside Fiala’s “Czech Denarii” (1895) and Cachy’s “The Oldest Czech Coins” (1970, 1972, 1974, 1982), the edition of Šťastný’s collection represents one of the most significant publishing achievements in the field of Czech medieval numismatics.