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1/2 Speciedaler - Frederik III small bust, legend starts under bust
| Issuer | Norway |
|---|---|
| Year | 1651 |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
| Weight | 14.36 g |
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| Obverse description | Armored, right-facing draped bust of King Frederik III, depicted with long flowing hair and a crown, contained within a beaded inner circle. The royal effigy is rendered in relatively small relief with fine detail in the armor. The encircling Latin legend commences below the bust and reads clockwise around the periphery, with a beaded ring along the outer rim providing a decorative border. |
|---|---|
| Obverse script | Log in to see details |
| Obverse lettering | FRIDERICUS:III:DG:DA:NO:VA:GO:REX (Translation: Frederik III, by the Grace of God, King of Denmark, Norway, the Wends and the Goths.) |
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| Additional information |
Frederik III had held the Danish-Norwegian throne for only four years when this piece was struck, and his position was far from secure. The aristocratic Rigsråd still held substantial checks on royal power — absolute monarchy wouldn't be imposed until 1660, after the catastrophic losses of the Dano-Swedish wars forced a constitutional reckoning. The small bust variety with legend starting under the bust is catalogued separately by Hede and Brekke precisely because die placement was inconsistent across this issue, not a later engraver's whim.
Norwegian specie production in 1651 drew on Kongsberg silver, the mine having reopened in earnest during the 1620s.