I have found myself recently drawn to the coinage of Sweden. Being a world coin collector, I have always had some coins from Sweden in my collection but I think that I am starting to appreciate them more. There aren’t many (at least in the United States) collectors to compete with. The designs tend to be simple. My first real purchase was 1724 dated, ½ Daler, piece of plate money. Since that time, I had added a 2 Daler and 4 Daler. If you like large, crude coins then these were made for you. The 4 Daler piece weighs over 4 pounds. Swedish copper plate money was introduced due to the abundance of copper from Sweden’s mines and the lack of availability of silver and gold. These cumbersome coins were issued in copper bullion with content reflecting the value of the silver that they replaced. These highly collectible “coins” circulated throughout Sweden and Finland. Uncertain date butt attributed to correct ruler. Obverse: Corner stamps: Crowned FRS, date. Center stamp: 4 DALER SILF: MYNT, crossed arrows Ruler: Frederick I Composition: Copper Most pieces of plate money available to collectors today were recovered from the shipwreck of the trading vessel Nicobar in the 1980s. Almost all, including mine, display shipwreck effect degradation. Plate money was minted in denominations of up 10 Daler with pieces weighing over 40 pounds. Crude, large copper coinage was abundant in 15th, 16th and 17th century Sweden. Charles XI. 1660-1697. AE. Avesta mint, 1662. C. R. S. above crowned arms dividing 16 - 62; shield of arms containing lion rampant left and ornamented on left and right sides / Crowned arms containing 3 shields dividing 2. - ÖR / K: - M: privy mark at bottom, aVF, Somewhat rough surfaces. Key date of series. Obverse: C R S above crowned ornamented shield, date Reverse: Crown above shield with three crowns, value Composition: Copper Diameter: 42.4 mm Weight: 34.88g Obverse: Warrior with sword and shield, date below Obverse Legend: WETT OCH WAPEN Reverse: Value in shield Subject: Reason and Arms Ruler: Carl XII Composition: Copper Weight: 4.5000g This is one of my favorite coins of Sweden. It isn’t as crude or large but I find it to be quite pleasing. Large, crude copper coins are what originally drew me to world coins. I had been working on a collection of US large cents and got to the point where everything I needed was pricey. You can build a nice collection of world copper coins on a budget. Sticking with the crude theme, there are 2 Swedish Klippe’s in my collection. 1565 16 Ore Obverse: Crown above cartouche with ER within dividing denomination Reverse: Crowned cartouche with 3 crowns withing dividing date Ruler: Eric XIV Composition: Silver 1625 Ore Obverse: 3 Crowns, A above, GR Reverse: 2 Crossed arrows Composition: Copper Weight: 28.3000g When Sweden got around to making silver coins more frequently, they still liked to make them big. Sweden, Carl XIV Johan, 1818-1844, 1834 CB, 1 Riksdaler, EF, Carl XIV Johan, 1818-1844. Dav. 352, KM# 632. Obverse: Head right Obverse Legend: CARL XIV SVERIGES... Reverse: Crowned arms within order chain divides date and value Ruler: Carl XIV Johan Composition: Silver Fineness: 0.7500 Weight: 34.0000g Sweden, Karl XV., 1859-1872., 1869 ST, 4 Riksdaler Riksmynt, AU, Karl XV., 1859-1872. Dav. 356, KM# 711. Raised planchet flaw behind head on obv. Obverse: Head right Obverse Legend: CARL XV SVERIGES... Reverse: Crowned arms with supporters, date and value below Ruler: Carl XV Adolf Composition: Silver Fineness: 0.7500 Weight: 34.0061g I don’t consider myself a collector of Swedish coins but I have picked up a number of them over the past years. Feel free to post yours. Sources: NGCcoin.com www.swedishcoppers.com Wikipedia
A very nice collection! I have a few: 4 Daler Plate Money, 1756, 1930g Sweden 1719 "Hoppet" 1 Daler Emergency Money 1 Skilling 1802 and 1820, showing inflation from the Napoleonic Wars For some reason Sweden seems to have had a lot of problems with inflation, making it hard for them to issue token copper coinage worth above metal value consistently.
I love Swedish coins. I have a ½, 1 and 4 daler plate - I'll have to take some new photos but here's the 1. 1746, Frederich I, PM68. Made of cannon bronze, Avesta mint:
Here is my best-preserved piece of plate money. I don't know this for certain, but I feel that it is unlikely that this one came from the Nicobar. Obverse: Corner stamps: Crowned FRS, date. Center stamp: 1/2 Daler Silf: Mynt, crossed arrows in a circle. Ruler: Frederick I Composition: Copper
I wasn't overly interested in Swedish numismatics until I took a chance trip to Stockholm a few years ago and ended up seeing the Vasa and a really amazing coin museum there where I saw plate money and just had to have some. I like history and Charles XII(1697-1718) is one of my favourite monarchs from that era along with Queen Christina(1632-1654)
ULRIKA ELEONORA 2 Mark 1719 Her life was long but her reign was brief. As her brother Charles XII was unmarried and childless, Ulrika Eleonora was regarded as a likely future heir to the throne, and was thereby attractive on the marriage market. Marriage alliances were suggested with Prince Charles of Denmark, Frederick William I of Prussia and the future King George II of Great Britain but nothing came of them. Duke Johann Wilhelm of Saxe-Gotha was given permission by her brother to court her, but the marriage plans were interrupted after he engaged in a duel with Anders Lagercrona in the presence of the monarch. She finally married Prince Frederick of Hesse in 1715. During the wedding, her brother Charles XII remarked: "Tonight my sister is dancing away the crown". The marriage was a love-match on her side but for Frederick primarily a chance to obtain a royal throne. Ulrika Eleonora was elected queen by the Swedish parliament in January 1719 after the death of her childless brother Charles. She supported the political ambitions of her consort, and from the beginning, she wished for him to become her co-monarch, in the fashion of William III and Mary II of England. However, this was not permitted by the Riksdag. Co-reigning had been forbidden in Sweden since the 15th century. However, her troubles in getting along with the Riksdag (Parliament), as well as her way of continuously discussing state affairs with her husband, did make the Riksdag willing to replace her with Frederick as sole monarch if she abdicated, an idea that had the support of Frederick. On 29 February 1720, after having again been denied a co-monarchy, Ulrika Eleonora abdicated in favour of her husband on the condition that she should succeed him if he should die before her. The relationship between Ulrika Eleonora and Frederick changed after he became king, and it was said that when she gave him the crown, she gave him his freedom. King Frederick had mistresses, including first king official mistress in Swedish history, the noblewoman Hedvig Taube, who was given the title Countess of Hessenstein. (Wikipedia)
This is a Half Ortug from Sweden. (14)78 NONETA STOCK 78 the "7" is an upside down "V" SCS ERICVS REX
@tibor That is interesting about the date, I had no idea they were dating coins that early in Sweden - and curiously they were using the numeral 7 the same way showing as an inverted V like they were doing in the low countries on their early dated 15th century coins.
Wikipedia has a good chart showing the evolution of Arabic (Brahmi) numeral forms as they spread into Europe. Apparently the inverted "V" for 7 was a transitional form common in 15th Century Europe.
I booked a trip to Stockholm with the desire to visit the mint museum. Which they closed for refurbishment or relocation or something.
@scottishmoney Before the year 1500A.D. , Sweden dated it's coins one year, 1478. Between Ortugs and Half Ortugs, there are 10 different varieties that are recognized by Robert Levinson, the author of "The Early Dated Coins of Europe 1234-1500".They are mostly date and legend variations. The following piece is an Ortug with a full date starting at 10:00.
Here's my early Swedish coins, including the oldest dated coin I have, a 2 ore from 1573. No cool plate money for me.
Nice coins in this thread. I don't really collect Swedish coins, but I found this overstrike type on eBay with an almost-complete date visible on the original host coin (around 2-3 o'clock): Sweden Æ 1/2 Skilling Gustav IV Adolf 1803 Avesta Mint Crowned CAIV monogram flanked by three crowns / 1/2 SKIL-crossed arrows-LING 1803 KM 565. (13.90 grams / 30 mm) Overstruck host coin: Sweden 1 Öre of Adolf Frederick Crowned AF monogram flanked by three crowns / [1·ÖR] crossed arrows S·M, First three digits of date visible: 176[0/1/3/8/9] KM 460
COINS OF GUSTAV VASA (1521-60) Gustav I Vasa, sometimes called the founder of modern Sweden, was the leader of the rebel movement against King Christian II of Denmark, Norway and Sweden after his father's murder in the Stockholm Bloodbath of 1520. His triumphant entry into Stockholm after his election as king on 6 June 1523 marked Sweden's final secession from the Danish-dominated Kalmar Union. Today it might be called not Brexit but Swexit. 4 Penningar 1547 2 öre 1541 1/2 Mark (4 ore) 1541 Mark 1560 1/2 Daler 1544
@talerman Very nice group of coins. That 1544 half Daler is my favorite. I'm going to put it on my need to get one list.