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1/2 Portugaløser - Frederik III
| Issuer | Copenhagen Mint |
|---|---|
| Year | 1655-1656 |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| Orientation | Medal alignment ↑↑ |
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|---|---|
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| Reverse description | The reverse displays a complex heraldic composition featuring the Royal Danish coat of arms: a central oval shield bearing the three blue lions passant with nine red hearts, emblematic of Denmark, surrounded by eight smaller escutcheons arranged in a cross pattern representing the constituent kingdoms and territories of the Danish Crown, including Norway, the Wends, the Goths, Schleswig, Holstein, Stormarn, and Dithmarschen. The entire composition is surmounted by an ornate royal crown. The date 1655 appears to the left within the field, and the mintmaster's initials HK are incorporated into the legend. The peripheral Latin legend DOMINUS PRO UIDEBIT • 1655 HK runs between inner and outer beaded borders, translating as 'The Lord will provide,' a pious motto chosen by Frederik III. |
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| Reverse lettering | DOMINUS PRO UIDEBIT • 1655 HK (Translation: The Lord will be my guide.) |
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| Additional information |
The Portugaløser denomination takes its name from the Portuguese gold cruzado coins that circulated widely in northern European trade during the sixteenth century, their weight and fineness setting a benchmark that Danish and north German mints eventually adopted for prestige multiples. Frederik III issued these pieces during a particularly precarious stretch of his reign — Denmark had just emerged from the disastrous Second Northern War and was navigating the political upheaval that would, just a few years later, culminate in the abolition of the nobility's tax privileges and the establishment of absolute monarchy in 1660.
The KM pattern designations suggest these were struck as presentation or donative pieces rather than circulating currency.