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4 Mark Dansk / 1 Speciedaler - Christian IV
| Issuer | Denmark |
|---|---|
| Year | 1596 |
| Type | Standard circulation coin |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| Obverse description | Log in to see details |
|---|---|
| Obverse script | Latin |
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| Reverse description | Within a beaded inner circle, the denomination and date are displayed in five bold lines across the field, reading: *IIII* / MARCK / DANSKE / *1596*, with asterisk or six-pointed star ornaments flanking the numeral and date. A continuous Latin legend surrounds the inner circle in the outer field, running along the entire rim and completing the king's royal titles. The legends are rendered in a robust, upright early 17th-century script characteristic of Danish hammered coinage of the period. |
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| Additional information |
Christian IV was fourteen years old when this coin was struck — nominally king since 1588, but still three years from assuming personal rule. Denmark's regency council, dominated by the high nobility, controlled both the treasury and the mint during these years, and the coinage of the 1590s reflects their careful management of royal finances ahead of Christian's coronation in 1596.
The speciedaler standard adopted here followed the Hamburg convention, tying Danish silver to the north German monetary system at a moment when Øresund toll revenues were making Copenhagen one of the wealthiest courts in Protestant Europe.