Catalog
33⅓ Riksdaler Banco / 50 Riksdaler Riksgäld
| Issuer | Sveriges Rikes Ständers Bank |
|---|---|
| Year | 1836-1857 |
| Type | Standard circulation banknote |
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| Obverse description | Intaglio-printed note on blue-tinted paper with elaborate guilloche borders. Central vignette at top shows a lion couchant supporting a crowned orb, within a radiating sunburst frame. The denomination "Trettiotre och Sexton skill." appears in a cartouche flanked by ornate scrollwork, with "33⅓" in a circular medallion below flanked by oak and laurel sprigs. |
|---|---|
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| Reverse description | Blank verso; the intaglio impression of the obverse is visible as a mirror image through the thin paper stock. |
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| Comments |
This denomination reflects a genuinely awkward moment in Swedish monetary history. The Riksdaler existed simultaneously in two competing forms — Riksdaler Banco, issued by the Riksbank and backed by silver, and Riksdaler Riksgälds, issued by the National Debt Office and trading at a discount. The fixed exchange rate between them was 3:2, which is precisely why 33⅓ Riksdaler Banco equated to exactly 50 Riksdaler Riksgälds — the dual denomination printed on a single note was not a curiosity but a functional necessity for daily commerce.
Sweden unified the two currencies in 1855, after which this note type was retired. The fractional denomination made sterile sense on paper; in practice, shopkeepers and merchants had been doing the conversion arithmetic for decades.