Klaipėdos universitetas

The article examines the issue of money in special circumstances in the towns of Klaipėda and Šilutė in 1918–1923. The main focus is on trying to find out when this money was put into circulation and how long it circulated, as well as to indicate the reasons for its use and to provide new information about the circumstances of the creation of this money. The research has made it possible to reveal many unknown facts: to clarify the dates, to identify new reasons for issuing the money, and to learn about the people who contributed to the creation of this money.

In 2018, during reconstruction works at the central square of the town of Kupiškis and the subsequent archaeological investigation, 153 coins dating to the 17th to 20th centuries were found. Usually only coins of the lowest denomination and value are found during such investigations, but most of the coins found at the central square in Kupiškis were attributable to the medium denomination coin type. It has been established that the majority of the 17th-century coins (125 pieces) belonged to a coin assemblage or hoard which was scattered before the reconstruction of the square. Based on the historical and numismatic data, it has been assumed that this set of coins was hidden around 1709 to 1710, when the country was devastated by the plague, and that it would likely have belonged to a keeper of a shop that used to stand at the market square. The composition of the said collection of coins was typical of the monetary circulation of that period, with some unique features as well. Compared to other finds, the assemblage contained a larger number of lower medium denomination coins and considerably fewer higher denomination coins. This suggests that the owner of the money was engaged in retail trade. The assemblage is also characterised by a larger number and diversity of Swedish coins. This unique feature can be explained by the fact that in the 17th and 18th centuries the region of Kupiškis was famous for flax cultivation and trade.