Very rare Fein's forgery thaler from Olkusz of Stephen Bathory from 1578. Coin made by a well-known and at the same time valued forger of Polish coins, who, as Mańkowski writes, surpassed the famous MAJNERT in his craft. The dies were hand-made by engraver and goldsmith FEIN on behalf of attorney Hausmann, who was the initiator of the entire procedure of forging coins. These coins were introduced into the collector's circulation by the third of the gentlemen, Zelman Igel, who introduced so many of these coins into circulation that while in Poland fake thalers were called Majnert, in Germany fake ducats were called Igel. Igel's forgeries found their way into the most distinguished 19th-century collections, including the Ossolineum, the Potocki collection, or the collection of Countess Izabella Starzyńska.
Obverse: crowned half-figure of the ruler, long and narrow, the left hand rests on the hilt of a sword, in the right a scepter
+STEPHANVS+D+G+REX+POLONIÆ (rosette)
Reverse: Eagle without a crown with spread wings, on the chest a shield with the Wilcze Ząby coat of arms, underneath it the Wieniawa coat of arms
MAG+DVX+LITVA+RVS+PRVS+MAS+&C
Diameter 39 mm, weight 27.14 g
