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2 Speciedaler - Christian IV King bust, type 2
| Issuer | Denmark |
|---|---|
| Year | 1641 |
| Type | Standard circulation coin |
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| Obverse description | Large armored and crowned effigy of King Christian IV facing right, truncated at the bust by a horizontal line, below which appears a shield bearing the arms of Denmark with nine hearts. The portrait is contained within a beaded inner circle interrupted at the base by the shield, with the royal motto REGNA FIRMAT PIETAS arranged along the inner border. The king's hair falls loosely over his armored collar. The outer legend, separated from the inner circle by the rim, carries the full royal titulature in Latin. |
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| Obverse lettering | CHRISTIANUS·IIII·D:G:DAN:N: V:G:Q:REX· ___________________ REGNA | FIRMAT PIETAS. (Translation: King Christian the Fourth, King of Denmark and Norway, the Goths and the Wends Piety strengthens the realms) |
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| Additional information |
By 1641, Christian IV was a diminished figure. The Thirty Years' War had drawn Denmark in disastrously — the king's personal command at the Battle of Lister Deep in 1644 would cost him his right eye — and the treasury had been under sustained strain since the humiliating Peace of Lübeck in 1629. Large specie coins of this period were instruments of diplomatic payment and debt settlement more than circulation currency, and surviving examples rarely show handling wear consistent with domestic trade.
The "type 2" distinction within KM#28 reflects a modified bust punch, a recurring pattern in Christian IV's prolific coinage where portrait dies were updated multiple times within a single issue year.