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1/4 Portugaloser - Christian IV
| Issuer | Denmark |
|---|---|
| Year | 1629 |
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| Value | 1/4 Portugaloser (5) |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| Obverse description | Within a beaded inner circle, a bold plain cross with splayed arms occupies the central field, dividing it into four quadrants. The date 1629 appears at the top of the legend, between the end and beginning of the royal titulature. The circumferential Latin legend, separated by pellets, runs continuously around the outer border between the beaded inner circle and the coin's rim. |
|---|---|
| Obverse script | Latin |
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| Additional information |
The Portugaloser was not a Danish invention — it was a deliberate copy of the Portuguese 10-cruzado piece, the *Portugal*, which had circulated widely in northern Europe as a prestige trade coin since the sixteenth century. Danish kings adopted the format as a vehicle for gift-giving and diplomatic exchange rather than ordinary commerce; these pieces functioned as donative medals as much as coins. Christian IV struck them across several fractional denominations throughout his long reign.
1629 placed this issue squarely in the middle of Denmark's costly involvement in the Thirty Years' War, from which Christian had already withdrawn in humiliation following the Treaty of Lübeck that same year.