Sweden 1724 4 daler
This specimen was part of lot 10882 in Ponterio sale 169 (Baltimore, November 2012), where it sold for $3,114. The catalog description[1] noted,
"SWEDEN. 4 Daler Copper Plate, 1724-FRS. Frederik I (1720-51)). The copper plate money minted in Sweden during the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries was in essence a government experiment focused on using natural resources both as physical currency and as an exported commodity. Copper has been mined in Sweden since the Middle Ages and the minting of copper coinage began in 1624 with round and small klippe pieces being produced. During this same time Spanish demand for copper increased with the minting of subsidiary coinage and across Europe production of copper dropped creating an advantageous situation for the Swedes. Having settled the intrinsic domestic value of copper to silver by law in 1643 the selling of copper coinage as an exported commodity became an even more appealing prospect. The only hitch in this situation was the costs associated with minting individual round coins with thirty-two 1 Ore coins needing to be produced to equal one Daler. In order to reduce these costs and increase their profit margin Swedish authorities turned to the miners who had been pulling copper out of their land for centuries. Copper plates had been produced at mines for years and were and easy way for raw copper to be transported, all that was needed to make these into the coins we know today were the five stamps placed in the corners and center of the plates. The first of these official plates were the 10 Daler SM issues of 1644 weighing in at a hefty 19.72 kilograms. In subsequent issues smaller more manageable denominations of 8, 4, 2, 1 and ½ Daler were struck and easily exported. For over 130 years with the exclusion of only a few brief periods this form of currency was minted and traded to countries in Europe and as far away as India and the Pacific. Even after the plates became obsolete as a form of currency they were still desirable as an export due to their uniform shapes and weights. So much was exported in fact that despite millions of these plates having been made less than 15,000 are known to be in existence today. The piece offered here is an impressive slab of copper and is of a perfect size having a solid heft and yet being manageable in the hand. The stamps are overall clear and present, one however is missing the date. Attractive with nice coloring and tone. Nearly EXTREMELY FINE."
This type was issued 1720-46 and is the most common four daler plate. Millions were made but most were melted down to make other copper or bronze objects.
Recorded mintage: unknown.
Specification: copper.
Catalog reference: KM-PM74; AAH-187.
- Bjorne Ahlström, Yngve Almer and Bengt Hemmingson, Sveriges Mynt, 1521-1977, the Coinage of Sweden. Stockholm: Numismatika Bokforlaget AB, 1976.
- Delzanno, Roberto, Myntårsboken 2022, Sveriges Mynt 995-2021, 1:a upplagen, Stockholm, 2021.
- Michael, Thomas, Standard Catalog of World Coins, 1701-1800, 7th ed., Iola, WI: Krause Publications, 2016.
- Bertel Tingstrom, Plate Money, the World's Largest Currency, Stockholm: Royal Coin Cabinet, 1986.
- [1]Ponterio, Richard, Ponterio sale 169: The November 2012 Baltimore Auction, Irvine, CA: Stack's Bowers, LLC, 2012.
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