1 Solidus - Imitating Christina, 1632-1654 Suceava counterfeit; type A

The exact lettering of the surrounding legend may vary.

In 1662, under the reign of Eustratie Dabija (1661-1665), the Suceava mint was re-opened in Moldovia (modern-day Romania). With the help of mintmaster Tito Livio Burattini, the mint struck many counterfeits of Livonian solidus pieces. Some say these counterfeits were used as a way to ruin the Livonian economy; others say they were struck to help Moldavia get out of their financial crisis.

Either way, these counterfeits were continally produced even after Eustratie Dabija's death, spanning over the reigns of George Ducas (1665-1666), Iliaş Alexandru (1666-1668), and the second reign of George Ducas (1668-1672) as well.

These coins differ from the original pieces in a few ways: they appear much more coppery (either made of copper or very low-quality billon, depending on the source), they typically (but not always) have ficticious dates, and they are often much cruder than the originals. Even so, these forgeries are still very collectable, and are usually worth more than the real pieces.

Theoretically, for each monogram, four types of counterfeits are possible:
Type 1) Riga with crossed keys (Riga/Riga)
Type 2) Livonia with griffon (Livonia/Livonia)
Type 3) Riga with griffon (Riga/Livonia)
Type 4) Livonia with crossed keys (Livonia/Riga)



Type 1 and Type 2 are imitating actual coins; Type 3 and Type 4 are mules of actual coins, meaning there is no original counterparts to them. While four types are, in theory, possible, no Type 4 counterfeits are known.

For those imitating the Type A monogram of Christina, only Type 1 counterfeits are known; however, the Type A monogram with this reverse is, by itself, a mule, meaning there are no original counterparts to this type.