Riga (16)54 solidus
This specimen was lot 2706 in Steve Album Auction 52 (Santa Rosa, CA, May 2025), where it sold for $66. The catalog description[1] noted, "SWEDISH LIVONIA: Christina, 1632-1654, AR solidus, Riga, [165]4, off-center strike on reverse, a lovely lustrous mint state example! PCGS graded MS63. Christina is remembered as one of the most erudite women of the 17th century, wanting Stockholm to become the "Athens of the North", and was given the special right to establish a university at will by the Peace of Westphalia. She is also remembered for her unconventional lifestyle and occasional adoption of masculine attire, which have been depicted frequently in media; gender and cultural identity are pivotal themes in many of her biographies." This type was struck 1635-54 for Christina. Solidi were struck for her successor Charles X Gustav as well in 1654. Struck on roller dies, many of these, including this one, have off-center reverses. Riga and Livonia were seized by Sweden from Poland in 1621 and retained by them until their loss to Russia in 1721.
Recorded mintage: unknown.
Specification: 0.51-0.54 g, billon, 15 mm diameter.
Catalog reference: KM-21, Haljak II-1425.
- Bjorne Ahlstrom, Yngve Almer and Bengt Hemmingson, Sveriges Mynt, 1521-1977, the Coinage of Sweden. Stockholm: Numismatika Bokforlaget AB, 1976.
- Cuhaj, George S., and Thomas Michael, Standard Catalog of World Coins, 1601-1700, 6th ed., Iola, WI: Krause Publications, 2014.
- [1]Album, Stephen, Joseph Lang, Paul Montz, Michael Barry and Dustin Wagner, Auction 52, featuring the Dr. Robert A. Rosenfeld Collection and the Almer H. Orr III Collection, Santa Rosa, CA: Stephen Album Rare Coins, Inc., 2025.
Link to:
- Livonia (16)53 solidus, Christina
- (16)54 solidus, Charles X Gustav
- Livonia (16)55 solidus Charles X Gustav
- Coins and currency dated 1654