Bodin
The arrival of the Celts into the Danubian region and the Morava valley towards the end of the 4th century B.C. brought important changes to the entire region. The innovations they introduced, particularly those in metal-working and pottery-making - the crafts the Celts were particularly good at - gave a strong impetus to the local economy. As a result of their contacts with the Hellenistic world, the Celts, i.e. the Scordisci, began to strike coins modelled after the tetradrachmum of Philip II of Macedon. In time they eliminated inscriptions, monograms and other details, and began to make imitations of imitations, but they retained the basic feature of the prototype – the head/horseman combination - during the entire era of their monetary activity.
Towards the end of their independence and monetary activity, in the last decades of the 1st century B.C., the Scordisci minted small silver coins, the so-called minims. A considerable number of these coins have been found in the central territory of the Scordisci in Srem, particularly along the right bank of the Danube, on the stretch from Slankamen to Zemun. The Celtic groups, apart from the one that lived further north, in the territory of modern Czech Republic, and known as Boii, did not mint gold coins. This is also true of the Scordisci settled in the area between the Sava and the Danube.
A gold minim is definitely a rarity, and its use in this case may be associated with the lack of silver at that particular time because of some local transaction unknown to us.
This silver coin of Empress Salonina, wife of Emperor Galienus (253-268), belonged to a dispersed 3rd century hoard of Roman coins. The reverse shows the empress holding a cross, symbol of the Christian faith, in her right hand. This is the earliest occurrence of a Christian symbol on Roman coins. The coin was struck in 265 A.D., after Galienus's edict on religious peace of 261 A.D., and some fifty years before the Edict of Milan, which gave recognition to the Christian religion (313 A.D.). The only evidence that Salonina was a Christian are the coins issued in her name.
The obverse of this coin, which is the only known example of this kind, shows the bust of the empress, facing right. Round it runs the inscription: SALONINS SVG.
On the reverse is the representation of Vesta, in fact the Empress (indicated by the type of her diadem, which was worn by ruling women only), seated on the throne and facing left. She holds a cross with the arms indicated by dots in her extended right hand. In her left hand is a sceptre with another cross on the top. The picture of the Empress is accompanied by the inscription: VESTA. The usual typological scheme with the inscription VESTA was used here effectively to suggest in a covert way Empress Salonina's commitment to Christianity.
The solidus was introduce by Constantine the Great in 309. Its weight of 4.55 g (1/72 of a Roman pound) remained stable over the centuries. In later times, it was adopted as the Byzantine gold standard. In the early phase of its minting it sometimes bears the mark of value LXXII or OB ( perhaps the Greek number 72 or the abbreviation for obrussa = fire-tested ).
The value of this piece is 1.5 solidi. The obverse shows the Emperor's bust and the inscription IMP CONTANTINVS MAX AVG, while the reverse bears the sun-god Sol and the legend SOLI INVI-CTO COMITI. The mint mark is SIS ( Siscia ).
This gold piece with its legend celebrating the god Sol reveals the state of religious affairs at the time of its minting ( 317 ). Christianity was not to become a state religion until after the Council of Nicaea, called and opened by the Emperor Constantine himself in 325.
The coin formed part of smaller hoard of gold coins found in the village of Ušće near Obrenovac.
The Svetoandrejska skupština (St. Andrew's Assembly) session was held in Belgrade from 11 December 1858 to 31 January 1859. At the session a changeover of the dynasties in the Principality of Serbia took place. The assembly brought back the aged prince Miloš Obrenović to the Serbian throne. Following the example of European countries, Miloš ordered the Council to earmark resources for issuing two kinds of commemorative medals, marking this important event for him, his dynasty and Serbia. Those medals were to be presented to all the deputies who attended the session of the Assembly, as a sign of gratitude.
Anastas Jovanović modelled the first one, circular in shape, made of silver. On the face of the medal is the bust of prince Miloš with his name inscribed. On the reverse stands the inscription in five lines: SVETO/ANDREJSKA SKUPŠTINA/ 1858/ ZA PRIVRŽENOST (for loyalty). It was presented to all civilian deputies to the Assembly, 378 0f them, according to one source. For 58 clerical deputies to the Assembly, Miloš ordered golden crosses with the inscription: M. O. I. SV. ANDR. SKUPŠTINA / 1858, on one side, and ZA / PRIVRŽENOSTЬ / X, on the other. The specimen of the first gold decoration of renewed Serbia shown in the picture is for now, as far as it is known, the only one that has been preserved.
The said 58 decorations were awarded and presented to the participants - deputies to the Assembly in Kragujevac in 1859 during the session of People's Assembly, held on Nativity, from 10 to 24 September.
Gold coins, solidi, are fairly frequent finds in the territory of Belgrade and its surroundings.
On the obverse of this gold coin of Emperor Iustinianus (527-565) is the emperor's bust in frontal position, with the inscription round it: D N IVSTIN-ANVS P P AVG.
On the reverse is the representation of a figure holding a cross on a long handle in the right hand and a globe with the cross in the left hand. Below it is a star. The inscription round the figure is: VICTORI-A AVCCCS. At the bottom is the sign of the mint CONOB (Constantinople).