Catalog
1 Cash - Frederik III
| Issuer | Danish India |
|---|---|
| Year | 1648-1670 |
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| Value | Log in to see details |
| Currency | Log in to see details |
| Composition | Lead |
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| Obverse description | Log in to see details |
|---|---|
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| Reverse description | A plain Latin cross in high relief occupies the center of the flan, with the four arms extending nearly to the coin's edge. The cross is boldly rendered without additional ornamentation, inscription, or border, consistent with the simple, utilitarian style of hammered lead cash coinage produced for the Danish settlement at Tranquebar. |
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| Mintage | ND (1648-1670) |
| Additional information |
The Danish trading post at Tranquebar — ceded to the Danish East India Company in 1620 by the Thanjavur Nayak ruler Raghunatha Nayak — issued these lead cash pieces for local commerce, where indigenous small-denomination coinage conventions demanded a format compatible with the Tamil economy. Lead was not Denmark's preference; it was a practical concession to local monetary custom.
Frederik III's reign in Copenhagen was consumed by war with Sweden, including the catastrophic loss of Scania under the Treaty of Roskilde in 1658. Tranquebar's coinage carried on regardless — the Company's directors operated with considerable autonomy from the Crown.