Personal Belongings

Pilgrim's medal

An interesting find is certainly the commemorative bronze medal of the Polish Brethren reform movement (Minor Reformed Church of Poland) that was established in 1565 after its split with the Polish Calvinists. It was considered one of the most progressive religious movements of its time. This exceptionally pacifist movement negated the existence of the Holy Trinity, propagating the singularity of God and the exclusively human nature of Jesus. The front of the medal features a portrait of Jesus in left profile, accompanied by the inscription in Hebrew, “Jesus the man”, while the reverse bears the inscription, also in Hebrew, “The Messiah of the Kingdom of Peace came in genuine human form”. The medal, commemorating a journey to the Holy Land, had to have belonged to a crew member or passenger on board at the time of the shipwreck.

Lead medal

During the research campaign in 2022, a lead medal was found in the central part of the ship, in the area of the first deck. Apparently, it is a dedication to a holy person, but the state of preservation currently does not allow for a more accurate interpretation. It was probably a holy item caried by some passenger or a member of the ship's crew.

Roman coin reproduction

During the research campaign in 2023, a medal resembling a Roman coin was found in the central bottom part of the ship. After the initial cleaning, it was determined that it was an imitation of a Roman coin, produced in Padua during the 16^th century. The imitation of the copper sestertius of Roman emperor Hadrian represents on the front the bare-headed and draped bust of Hadrian to right, whith the inscription HADRIANVS AVGVSTVS. On the back side, a galley under full sail is shown, with Neptune standing at bow, and the inscription FELICITATI / AVG below the yard, and COS III P P / S C at the bottom.

It was casted by Giovanni da Cavino (1500–1570), the son of Bartolomeo di Giovanni, a goldsmith originally from Cavino di San Giorgio delle Pertiche. His imitations of ancient coins, produced together with Alessandro Bassiano, are particularly well known. The quality of his reproductions makes it extremely difficult to identify them as fakes.