Tito: The Dictator Who Stared Down Stalin

Tito was the ruler of Yugoslavia from 1941 until his death in 1980. Born Josip Broz, he adopted “Tito” as a nom de guire while resisting the Nazis in World War II. Having repelled the Nazi invasion, he eventually was appointed Prime Minister (and later President-for-Life). As a leader, Tito developed a cult of personality and used it to and unite the Serbs, Croats, Bosnians, Herzegovinians, Kosovars, Macedonians and Slovenes under one banner. He also was an effective diplomat, currying favor with the United States and reaching out to developing countries such as Guinea.

While they were allies during World War II, Tito was known to defy Stalin after the war. The Soviet leader sent multiple assassins to Yugoslavia, yet all attempts on Tito’s life were thwarted. This led to an infamous note that Tito sent to Stalin: “Stop sending people to kill me. We’ve already captured five of them, one of them with a bomb and another with a rifle. […] If you don’t stop sending killers, I’ll send one to Moscow, and I won’t have to send a second.”

While Tito proved to be a strong a charismatic leader, he was not without his cruelties. He was responsible for many mass murders and targeted ethnic Germans and Hungarians especially. He also lived a life of great luxury at the expense of the Yugoslavian treasury.

Included in this set are a Yugoslavian 5000 dinara, and a 500 sylis from Guinea, both of which feature a portrait of Tito. Also included is a Certificate of Authenticity and billfold.