History·7 May 2026·4 min read
The Moldavian gros — Moldavia's first money
In the 14th century, Petru I Mușat struck Moldavia's first own coin, a sign of an independent state.
Around 1377, the ruler Petru I Mușat struck the silver Moldavian gros, with the aurochs head on one face. It was Moldavia's first own coin — an act of sovereignty.
The coin as a flag
Striking your own coin was always a sign that you were a state in your own right. The aurochs head on the gros is the ancestor of Moldavia's coat of arms. Money still says who you are.
