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1 Cash - Christian IV AM/AGE/R
| Issuer | Danish East India Company |
|---|---|
| Year | 1648 |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| Shape | Round (irregular) |
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| Obverse description | Crudely hammered lead flan bearing a central monogram or device in low relief, surrounded by a wreath or border of stylized foliate elements. The legend DAN ISB ORG is distributed around the field in Latin characters, referencing the Danish colonial presence. The overall design is characteristic of primitive hammered coinage produced for local circulation in the Danish trading settlements of India, with irregular flan shape and weak strike typical of the issue. |
|---|---|
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| Reverse description | Reverse displaying a central cartouche or oval device enclosing the initials AM / AGE / R arranged in three lines, representing the administrative or commercial authority of the issuing body. The device is framed by a stylized wreath or leafy border in low relief. The crude hammered technique results in uneven relief and weak detail throughout the field, consistent with other Danish India cash issues of the mid-seventeenth century. |
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| Additional information |
The Danish East India Company's Tranquebar settlement on the Coromandel Coast was one of Denmark's few genuine colonial footholds in Asia, and its coinage was a practical necessity for petty trade where European silver was hoarded rather than spent. This lead cash was issued in the final year of Christian IV's reign — he died in February 1648 — making pieces dated to that year transitional between his administration and that of Frederick III.
Lead was chosen not for its prestige but because local bazaar transactions demanded low-denomination coins in quantity, and the metal was cheap enough to mint at a useful face value.