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10 Ducats - Frederick I Type I
| Issuer | Sweden |
|---|---|
| Year | 1721 |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | 10 Ducats (20) |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| Obverse description | Log in to see details |
|---|---|
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| Obverse lettering | FRIDERICVS· D·G·REX·SVECIÆ· AN·IVBIL·1721· (Translation: Frederick I king of Sweden by the grace of God. Jubilee year 1721.) |
| Reverse description | Facing confronted busts of Gustav I Vasa and Gustav II Adolf in cameo-style portrait medallions, both set within an ornate palm wreath. A two-line commemorative legend appears in the exergue below the wreath, accompanied by the mintmaster's initials on the exergue line. The composition celebrates the bicentennial of the Swedish Reformation and commemorates the two foundational Swedish monarchs in a classicizing baroque style. |
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| Additional information |
Frederick I came to the Swedish throne in 1720 under highly constrained circumstances — the Riksdag had stripped the monarchy of most executive power following the disasters of Charles XII's wars, and Frederick ruled essentially as a constitutional figurehead. These massive gold multiples were not monetary instruments in any practical sense; they were diplomatic presentation pieces, struck in tiny quantities for distribution to foreign dignitaries and high officials.
The 1721 date places this squarely in the immediate aftermath of the Great Northern War, which had ended Sweden's status as the dominant Baltic power and left the treasury depleted. That a coin of this extravagance was struck at all reflects the court's determination to project an image of solvency it did not possess.