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Denier - Olof Skötkonung
| Issuer | Sweden |
|---|---|
| Year | 995-1022 |
| Type | Standard circulation coin |
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| Obverse description | Crude right-facing bust of King Olof Skötkonung depicted in profile, rendered in the Anglo-Saxon hammered style with a sceptre held before the figure. The effigy displays characteristic Scandinavian Viking-Age die-cutting with bold, irregular strokes. A beaded or pelleted border frames the design. The surrounding legend, struck in Latin, reads VLVASI REX SVENO, identifying the ruler as King Olof of Sweden. The overall style closely follows contemporary Anglo-Saxon penny types, reflecting the strong English minting influence of the period. |
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| Reverse script | Latin |
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| Additional information |
Olof Skötkonung was the first Swedish king to adopt Christianity, and the deniers struck during his reign are the earliest coins produced on Swedish soil — minted at Sigtuna, almost certainly with the help of Anglo-Saxon moneyers brought from England. The stylistic debt to late Anglo-Saxon penny production is unmistakable to anyone who has handled both, even without looking at the design.
Before Sigtuna began striking, Scandinavia circulated foreign coin by weight rather than by face value. Olof's decision to issue a domestic coinage was as much a statement of political consolidation as it was a practical monetary measure. The Sigtuna mint operated intermittently and output was modest, which accounts for the relative scarcity of surviving examples today.