Featured Swedish Numismatics

Those are pretty fantastic.

 

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My other one, ½ daler 1743. Sea salvage.

 

COINS OF ERIK XIV

Erik XIV (1560-68) was the eldest son of Gustav I Vasa. While he has been regarded as intelligent and artistically skilled, as well as politically ambitious, early in his reign he showed signs of mental instability, a condition that eventually led to insanity. From 1563 onwards, his insanity became pronounced; his rule became even more arbitrary and marked by violence. His suspicion of the nobility led him to suspicions of the Sture family, then headed by Svante Stensson Sture, who was married to Gustav's sister-in-law. In 1567, he killed several members of the family in the so-called Sture Murders, Erik himself stabbing Nils Svantesson Sture. After the Sture murders Erik's conflict with the nobility came to its climax. in the fall of 1568, asserting Erik's insanity, the dukes and the nobles rebelled, and after some resistance Erik was imprisoned by his half-brother Duke Johan, who took power on 30 September. Erik was legally dethroned in January 1569 by the Riksdag.

For the next seven years the ex-king was a source of anxiety to the new government. Three rebellions - the 1569 Plot, the Mornay Plot and the 1576 Plot - with the object of releasing and reinstating him, had to be suppressed, and Erik was held as a prisoner in many different castles in both Sweden and Finland. He died in prison in Örbyhus Castle in 1577. According to tradition his final meal was a poisoned bowl of pea soup. His body was later exhumed and modern forensic analysis revealed evidence of lethal arsenic (Wikipedia).

There are coins with Erik XIV's portrait but unfortunately I do not have one


1/2 öre 1568




1 1/2 Marks 1562 (view of Stockholm Archipelago on rev.)





2 Mark (16 öre) 1563





3 Mark 1562 (Stockholm Archipelago on rev.)




There are also splendid coins with Erik XIV's portrait. Here he is on a Daler (not mine - picture from Numista/Heritage)

 

One has to appreciate that Sweden, with a fairly low population, was actually a fairly formidable power from the 16th to the 18th centuries. Pretty much the whole of the eastern Baltic was a Swedish lake, with their possessions in Livonia, Courland, and then into northern Germany. Finland was a Swedish possession. They also had a shortlived colony in N. America.

 

I really like this one.

Just recently, I add this one.



Obverse: Head right
Obverse Legend: GUSTAVUS • III • D • G • REX • SVECIAE •
Reverse: Crowns within lined circle within crowned order chain, value flanking, divided date below

Ruler: Gustaf III
Note: Dav. #1735.

Composition: Silver
Fineness: 0.8780
Weight: 29.2500g

 

Here is mine from Christina....
AV Dukat 1644
Swedish Occupation of Latvia
Riga Mint
Queen Christina

Christina would succeed Gustav Adolphus/ when he was KIA at the Battle of Lutzen in 1632. Christina tried to pull Sweden out of the Thirty Years War, later she converted to become a Roman Catholic.

 

A COIN issued jointly in the name of JOHAN, Duke of Finland, and KARL, Duke of Södermanland

in the fall of 1568, the nobles rebelled against King Erik XIV and after some resistance Erik was imprisoned. The leaders of the coup were his half-brothers, the Dukes Johan and Karl, who took power on 30 September. Johan would be elected king as Johan III in January 1569. During the rebellion Johan and Karl struck some rare Klippe coinage with the enlaced initials of the two brothers, I and C, on the obverse.

Dukes Johan & Karl 4 Mark Klippe 1568

 

She did, also joined a convent and became a nun, moved to Italy where she passed away in 1689.

 

Cool coins everyone! Sweden tends to have all the stuff I like in world coins, big ones, weird shapes, cool edges, overstrikes, all that sort of thing. I would LOVE to get one of those giant bronze plates, those are awesome...but not close to my price range.

I have one Swedish coin on the way now, but here are some that I currently have .


This one is kind of "vanilla".



More my style, with a neat edge.



Large cool overstrike, 1 skilling on a 2 ore, slight panchet clip as well.




Cool edge also, "waffle".



I like this coins with the pagan deities on them as well, I just have this one. There is also one with Saturn, Mars, and some other I think.

 

Those are remarkable and rare examples!

Here's my 1 1/2 marks coin of Erik XIV. I've had this coin for decades, stored in the Henry Christensen manila envelope.

14.6 grams






My only other Swedish coin is a riksdaler of Christina, 1645, D-4525:

 

I got this coin in the mail today. Not very attractive, but interesting.



Christina of Sweden, 1 Ore (mid 17th century). 48 mm, 44.7 g.

This thing is HUGE!

 

It's attractive to me, surface issues notwithstanding. To you too presumably, if you bought it. I love a big copper.

 

COINS OF JOHAN III (1568-92)

Johan's first wife was Catherine Jagellonica of Poland (1526–83), of the House of Jagiello, the sister of King Sigismund Augustus of Poland. Inspired by his Polish wife, Johan showed clear Catholic sympathies, a fact that created frictions with the largely Lutheran Swedish clergy and nobility. This Polish connection would complicate later Swedish history.

1 öre 1575




4 Mark Klipping 1569






Billon Ortug 1590 struck by the Stockholm mint in the name of St. Erik (gothic E on obv.), patron saint of Sweden and of Stockholm (his crowned head is depicted in the city's coat of arms). As Erik IX, also known as Eric the Holy, he was King of Sweden in the 12th century, c. 1156–1160. Like some other Swedish kings, he was assassinated.


And here is Johann III on a Daler with his portrait (not mine - picture from Numista/Heritage)

 

COINS OF GUSTAV II ADOLF (1611-32)

An outstanding military commander, Gustavus Adolphus intervened in the 30 Years' War in Germany on the Protestant side. Although he was killed at the Battle of Lützen in 1632, he left Sweden in possession of large territories in Germany and helped determine the political and religious balance of power in Europe. He also left Sweden financially stretched. He was formally and posthumously given the name Gustavus Adolphus the Great by the Riksdag in 1634.

Gustav II Adolf introduced copper coinage. The copper mine in Falun produced about 2/3 of Europe's copper at this time. According to Tingström (Swedish Coins 1521-1968), the government wanted to use the copper and, by reducing exports, push up the price. The early coins were quickly struck hammered klippings. When they were first issued the copper price was high versus silver and the base price for the issue, 150 daler per skeppund (136 kg) proved too optimistic. The value of the copper coins quickly fell in relation to silver. During the second half of the 1620s there were in effect two parallel monetary standards, daler, mark and öre silver money and daler, mark and öre copper money. This would continue until 1776.

Copper 1/2 Öre Klippe 1625 Nyköping mint





Copper 1 Öre Klippe Säter mint



Copper 2 Öre Klippe 1626 Säter mint


4 Mark 1615




Riksdaler 1632

 

There are some really nice coins here.

Some might know that I'm a mad Russian collector and there are a couple of coins that do cross both countries.

The first coin that is worthy to mention is how the Swedish government got involved with the production of counterfeit copper 5 kopek in 1780s. Today these coins are quite rare and command very high prices.

Prior to this, a small batch of Russian coins used Swedish ore coins as part of their overstrikes. This only occurred in Sestrosetsk mint for about a couple of years



You can see the cross in the field. This is a somewhat difficult coin to find but doable if you take the time to hunt down. Supposedly there is a 2 kopek overstruck over 2 ore but this is quite hard to find.

 

COINS OF GUSTAV II ADOLF (1611-32): Part II Coins struck for Germany

Gustavus Adolphus conquered large parts of Germany during the 30 Years' War and coins were struck in his name in Augsburg, Erfurt, Fürth, Mainz, Nuremberg, Osnabrück, Wolgast and Würzburg, as well as Elbing, a city in East Prussia under Polish suzerainty. Here are a couple of examples:



ELBING Gustavus Adolphus Taler 1632
Elbing surrendered to Gustavus Adolphus in 1626. Under Swedish rule the city mainly struck debased minors but some higher grade gold and silver were issued such as this Taler.






NUREMBERG Gustavus Adolphus Taler 1632
Gustavus Adolphus captured Nuremberg in 1632 and struck splendid coins in gold and silver there (although the city's name is not mentioned on this coin)





The Swedes also had the idea of using their abundant copper mines to strike copper coins with a German denomination for their troops to use in Germany. However, the coins were not accepted by the Germans and the plan failed and the coins were largely melted down.

Gustavus Adolphus Copper Creutzer 1632 Sater mint

 

Plate money is cool! I don't have any though, because it doesn't really fit my collection.

What I do like about Swedish coins, especially getting into the late 1800's, is that they are often very well made and sometimes prooflike.

 

My collection is all over the place so anything “fits”. I am really trying to be more focused.

 

More coins of CHRISTINA (1632-54)

The Swedish queen is remembered as one of the most learned women of the 17th century. She was fond of books, manuscripts, paintings, and sculptures. With her interest in religion, philosophy, mathematics and alchemy, she attracted many scientists to Stockholm, wanting the city to become the "Athens of the North". She caused a scandal when she decided not to marry -she was bisexual - and in 1654 when she abdicated her throne and converted to Catholicism.

After ruling under a Royal Regency Council under Chancellor Axel Oxenstierna Christina reached her majority in 1644, and Oxenstierna soon discovered that her political views differed from his own. In 1645 he sent his son, Johan Oxenstierna, to the 30 Years' War Peace Congress in the Westphalian city of Osnabrück, to argue against peace with the Holy Roman Empire. Christina, however, wanted peace at any cost and sent her own delegate, Johan Adler Salvius.

The Peace of Westphalia was signed between May and October 1648, effectively ending the European wars of religion. Sweden received an indemnity of five million thalers, used primarily to pay its troops. Sweden further received Western Pomerania (henceforth Swedish Pomerania), Wismar, the Archbishopric of Bremen, and the Bishopric of Verden as hereditary fiefs, thus gaining a seat and vote in the Diet of the Holy Roman Empire ; the city of Bremen was disputed.

Christina's financial extravagance brought the state to the verge of bankruptcy, and the financial difficulties caused public unrest after ten years of ruling. In 1651, Christina lost much of her popularity after the beheading of Arnold Johan Messenius, together with his 17-year-old son, who had accused her of serious misbehavior and of being a "Jezebel". At the age of 28, the "Minerva of the North" relinquished the throne to her cousin Karl X Gustav and moved to Rome. Christina left Sweden in men's clothing and rode through unfriendly Denmark as Count Dohna. Her eventual arrival in Rome, having been received into the Catholic Church in Brussels en route during an extended journey across Europe, was a triumph for Pope Alexander VII, a very visible symbol of the success of the Counter-Reformation. She was initially granted her own wing inside the Vatican.

I do not think it is correct to say she became a nun. She lived in style in the Palazzo Farnese and later the Riario Palace. Pope Alexander VII described Christina as "a queen without a realm, a Christian without faith, and a woman without shame." Notwithstanding, she played a leading part in the theatrical and musical community and protected many Baroque artists, composers, and musicians.

Being the guest of five consecutive popes and a symbol of the Counter Reformation, she is one of the few women buried in the Vatican grotto. Her unconventional lifestyle and masculine dressing have been featured in countless novels, plays, operas, and film. (Wikipedia)

@robinjo posted a nice Riksdaler of Christina and, of course, @panzerman topped us all as usual with a beautiful gold ducat. Here are a few more of her coins.

SWEDEN Christina 1/2 Daler 1644




SWEDEN Christina 4 Mark 1647




Christina also struck coins for her lands elsewhere in Europe. Here are two examples.

Germany POMERANIA Christina of Sweden 1/2 Taler 1641




Baltic States RIGA 1/24 Taler (Dreipolcher) 1644

 

I have missed this thread, lots of great and quite rare coins in very good condition. As a swede it's really fun to see that so many are interested in swedish coinage I'm thinking myself to pick up my childhood collection that have been laying around untouched for many years.