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2 Skilling Dansk - Frederik III Shield type IIb
| Issuer | Royal Danish Mint |
|---|---|
| Year | 1654-1655 |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| Reference(s) | KM#A190, Hede#130 B |
| Obverse description | Central field displays an oval or ellipse-shaped shield bearing the Danish lion passant, rendered in the crude but vigorous style characteristic of mid-17th century hammered billon coinage. The shield is surmounted by a royal crown. Surrounding the central device, a circular legend in Latin reads FREDERIC.3.D:G.D, referencing King Frederik III of Denmark by the Grace of God. The legend is separated from the shield by a raised inner circle, with beaded or dotted punctuation marks dividing the abbreviated royal titles. The overall execution reflects the hand-struck technique, resulting in a slightly irregular flan with variable relief. |
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| Mintage | 1654 (h) - Ellipse-shaped shield - 1654 (h) - Oval-shaped shield - 1655 (h) - Ellipse-shaped shield - 1655 (h) - Oval-shaped shield - |
| Additional information |
Frederik III inherited a Denmark financially gutted by the Torstenson War and then immediately faced the catastrophic Northern Wars of the 1650s, a sequence of Swedish invasions that brought the kingdom to the edge of dissolution. Small billon coinage of this period was struck under severe fiscal pressure, with the crown repeatedly debasing subsidiary issues to stretch bullion reserves. The Shield type IIb designation in Hede's classification distinguishes this die variant from the closely related IIa by subtle differences in the shield rendering — a distinction that matters for completeness but speaks to how rapidly dies were cut and replaced during these years.