Catalog
1 Mark - Christian III
| Issuer | Kingdom of Denmark |
|---|---|
| Year | 1541 |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | 1 Mark (⅓) |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| Obverse description | Central field displays the crowned Danish royal coat of arms, featuring three passant lions within a shield surmounted by an elaborate royal crown. The shield is set upon a long cross that divides the coin's field into four quadrants, a design characteristic of Danish hammered coinage of the period. The arms are rendered in the Gothic style typical of mid-16th century Scandinavian die-cutting. A beaded inner border separates the shield and cross motif from the surrounding circumferential legend. The Latin royal titulary runs continuously around the periphery, partially interrupted by the coin's irregular flan. |
|---|---|
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| Reverse script | Latin |
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| Additional information |
Christian III issued this mark coinage in the immediate aftermath of the Count's War — a brutal civil conflict that ended in 1536 with his consolidation of power and the simultaneous imposition of Lutheranism as Denmark's state religion, dissolving Catholic Church properties and restructuring the Crown's finances in one sweep. The monetary reforms that followed were partly an exercise in asserting royal authority through newly standardized silver coinage.
The Hede 3A designation places this among the earliest defined varieties of the type. Danish mark coinage of this decade is notoriously difficult to attribute cleanly due to inconsistent die preparation across mints operating under the reformed royal monopoly.