1/2 'Dicke' Krone - Christian IV Closed crown, King bust type

Christian IV struck this issue amid his aggressive — and ultimately ruinous — ambitions in the Thirty Years' War. Denmark's entry into that conflict in 1625 was financed partly through debasement and monetary manipulation, making the relatively high silver fineness of this type notable for its moment. Within a decade of this issue, Danish military catastrophe at the Battle of Lutter in 1626 forced a humiliating withdrawal from the war and left the kingdom's finances gutted.

The "dicke" designation distinguishes these thicker, heavier struck pieces from the thinner klippe and bracteate traditions still lingering in northern minting practice at the time.