A Coin Collection from the Reign of Christian VII

In his book “Christian den VII’s Mønter” (Christian VII’s Coins) from 2017, Pedersen expands on the description of the coins from the reign of Christian VII to include stories from that time about how the coins were minted, with a particular focus on the stamp cutters and the stamps that were cut at the mints. The collection up for auction features a large number of coins, where this historical perspective is a vital factor in determining their type. Here, we can mention Kongsberg’s ½ and 1 speciedalers from 1776, when stamp cutters from Altona and Copenhagen assisted Kongsberg’s own stamp cutter. What is more, the speciedalers from Altona from 1787–1788 represent a turbulent period with a comprehensive mint reform in Schleswig-Holstein, where four different stamp cutters worked at the same time to supply enough stamps.

Of lower denominations worth a mention, we have Altona’s 1/24 speciedalers from 1787, when an overburdened stamp cutter in Altona was helped with stamps from Copenhagen. Copenhagen’s 2 shilling from 1801 with type variants that reveal that the stamp cutter was in doubt about the design of the obverse stamp at the beginning of this minting. If it is top-quality coins you are after, Rethwisch’s 1 speciedaler from 1769 is sure to catch your eye, while the beautiful specimens of dreiling and 1 sechsling from 1787 also stand out. And among the 2 shillings from 1778–1788, there are several of a quality rarely seen. We will round off by mentioning the coins with miscut stamps, not least the 1 speciedaler from 1808 with an “I” missing in “SCHILLNG”. Such errors were often a result of the stamp cutters’ stressful working conditions with extremely poor lighting.