Catalog
12 Schillingar / Skillingiä
| Issuer | Riksens Ständers Riksgälds-Contoir |
|---|---|
| Year | 1790-1792 |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | 12 Schillingar |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| Obverse description | Plain cream paper note printed in black letterpress, with the denomination '12 Schillingar' rendered in a stylized gothic script at the upper centre, above a multi-line text body stating the note's value and redeemability at the Riksgälds-Contoir, dated Stockholm 1791. A serial number appears in manuscript at upper right, and the note is countersigned at lower centre with a handwritten signature on behalf of Riksens Ständers Riksgälds-Contoirs wägnar, with a second manuscript signature below. |
|---|---|
| Obverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Reverse description | The reverse is entirely plain, printed on unadorned cream paper with no text, vignettes, or decorative elements, showing only the quadrant fold lines and surface wear consistent with circulation. |
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| Comments |
The Riksgälds-Contoir — the National Debt Office, not a conventional bank — was established in 1789 specifically to finance Sweden's costly war against Russia under Gustav III. These notes were issued outside the Riksbank's authority entirely, a deliberate political maneuver by the Riksdag to keep war financing off the crown's direct books. The bilingual denomination, Swedish and Finnish, reflects the administrative reality of a kingdom that still encompassed Finland.
The Riksgälds notes were initially distrusted and traded at a discount against Riksbank currency — a discount that only widened as the war dragged on.