Catalog
See full images - free registration
Continue with Google - no registration!
or register with email
Why register? Just to keep bots out of our catalog. Your email stays private - we will never share it or send you anything uninvited. We guarantee you that!
1/4 Portugaloser - Christian IV
| Issuer | Denmark |
|---|---|
| Year | 1602 |
| Type | Standard circulation coin |
| Value | Log in to see details |
| Currency | Log in to see details |
| Composition | Log in to see details |
| Weight | Log in to see details |
| Diameter | Log in to see details |
| Thickness | Log in to see details |
| Shape | Log in to see details |
| Technique | Log in to see details |
| Orientation | Log in to see details |
| Engraver(s) | Log in to see details |
| In circulation to | Log in to see details |
| Reference(s) | Log in to see details |
| Obverse description | Log in to see details |
|---|---|
| Obverse script | Log in to see details |
| Obverse lettering | CHRISTIANVS IV D G DANI NOR VAN GOT REX 1602 (Translation: Christian IV by God`s grace King of Denmark, Norway, the Wends and the Goths) |
| Reverse description | Seven heraldic shields arranged in a symmetrical floral or rosette pattern around a central oval cartouche bearing the arms of Denmark (a cross). The surrounding shields, set within interlocking scrollwork, display the arms of Schleswig (two lions), Holstein (the nettle leaf), Stormarn (the swan), Dithmarschen (the horseman), Oldenburg (two bars), and Delmenhorst (a cross). A continuous Latin legend encircles the composition within a beaded border. |
| Reverse script | Log in to see details |
| Reverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Edge | Log in to see details |
| Mint | Log in to see details |
| Mintage | Log in to see details |
| Additional information |
The Portugaloser was a prestige denomination borrowed directly from Portugal's India trade coinage — the *português* — and adopted by several northern European courts as a ceremonial showpiece rather than a circulating medium. Christian IV began issuing these large gold multiples shortly after his coronation, using them as diplomatic gifts and rewards to naval commanders. The 1602 date places this piece among his earliest issues, struck at a moment when Denmark still controlled the Sound tolls and extracted revenue from virtually every ship entering the Baltic.
The quarter denomination is the most practically sized of the series, making it the division most likely to have actually changed hands.