Catalog
See full images - free registration
Continue with Google - no registration!
or register with email
Why register? Just to keep bots out of our catalog. Your email stays private - we will never share it or send you anything uninvited. We guarantee you that!
1/3 Riksdaler - Gustav III Largesse money, Birth of Crownprince
| Issuer | Sweden |
|---|---|
| Year | 1778 |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | Log in to see details |
| Currency | Fourth riksdaler (1719-1798) |
| Composition | Log in to see details |
| Weight | Log in to see details |
| Diameter | Log in to see details |
| Thickness | Log in to see details |
| Shape | Log in to see details |
| Technique | Log in to see details |
| Orientation | Log in to see details |
| Engraver(s) | Log in to see details |
| In circulation to | Log in to see details |
| Reference(s) | Log in to see details |
| Obverse description | Unadorned draped bust of King Gustav III of Sweden facing right, with long curled hair. The effigy is rendered in fine relief within an open field. The circular legend reads GUSTAF III · SV · G · OCH · W · KONUNG · around the rim, denoting his title as King of Sweden, of the Goths, and of the Wends. The coin's milled border frames the composition neatly. |
|---|---|
| Obverse script | Log in to see details |
| Obverse lettering | GUSTAF III · SV · G · OCH · W · KONUNG · (Translation: Gustav III King of Sweden of the Goths and the Wends) |
| Reverse description | Log in to see details |
| Reverse script | Log in to see details |
| Reverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Edge | Log in to see details |
| Mint | Log in to see details |
| Mintage | Log in to see details |
| Additional information |
Gustav III ordered these pieces struck specifically for the ceremonial largesse — the scattering of coins among crowds — that accompanied the birth of his son and heir, the future Gustav IV Adolf, on November 1, 1778. The event carried unusual political weight: Gustav had seized autocratic power in his 1772 coup, and after six childless years of marriage, the birth of a male heir was used to reinforce dynastic legitimacy. Whispers at court, and later more openly, questioned whether the king — whose marriage was notoriously strained — was actually the child's father.