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Contemporary Counterfeit - ½ Speciedaler - Carl XIV
| Issuer | Norway |
|---|---|
| Year | 1844 |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| Shape | Round |
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| Obverse description | Bare-headed bust of King Carl XIV Johan facing right, draped in a mantle with a bow at the collar, the portrait rendered with softened detail characteristic of a cast counterfeit. The encircling legend reads CARL XIV JOHAN NORGES SVER. G. OG V. KONGE., identifying him as King of Norway, Sweden, the Goths and the Wends. A toothed border runs along the rim. The overall die work is crude and lacks the sharp relief expected of a genuine milled issue from the Kongsberg Mint. |
|---|---|
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| Reverse lettering | 18 ½ ST. 1 MK. FS. 1/2 SPS 18 ⚒ 44 |
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| Additional information |
Contemporary counterfeits of Norwegian speciедaler fractions were typically struck in base metal by criminal operations exploiting the gap between face value and silver content — ironic, given that the genuine article was already a debased issue by Scandinavian monetary standards. Carl XIV Johan, the former Napoleonic marshal Jean-Baptiste Bernadotte, had by 1844 ruled Sweden-Norway for over two decades, and the relative stability of his reign did little to suppress small-denomination forgery, which persisted wherever enforcement was thin and rural commerce moved too fast to scrutinize individual coins.