NORWAY. Speciedaler, 1692. Kongsberg Mint. Christian V. NGC MS-63.
KM-190; Dav-3659C; Hede-37E; Sieg-59.3; NMD-168C; Schou-11; Bruun-10392. Weight: 28.73 gms. Mintmaster: Henning Christopher Meyer, the elder (HCM). Engraver: Caspar Barth. The single finest certified example of this date yet holdered by NGC, this alluring and most attractive representative yields handsome tone at the peripheries and nice brilliance in the open fields. This attractive design is well impressed, with surface interruptions being limited to a few light marks and some adjustments. A most beautiful example that is deserving of much adulation. The edge bears the following lettering: DANNER KONGIS NORDSKE FIELDE SLIGE FRUGTER HAR I VÆLDE ("The Danish king's Norwegian cliffs abound with such fruits"). By far most of the Speciedalers struck in Denmark/Norway in the 17 th century were not made for regular circulation but for a use as presentation pieces or savings. The Norwegian Speciedalers with lettered edges are however notable exceptions, as a total of almost 100,000 is known to have been minted from 1692-1696. As opposed to being hammer struck, the Kongsberg Speciedalers were minted in a screw press after the lettering had already been applied to the planchets, which means that the reading direction and the starting point of the legends vary. There are seven known varieties of edge legends of which five are in Danish, one is in German and one is in Latin. They were all meant to glorify the Danish absolute monarch and celebrate the important occurrence of silver in the Norwegian cliffs around the new mint in Kongsberg that had taken over from Christiania in 1686. The phrases, which are extraordinarily high-flown and poetical, are believed to be by the vicar Jørgen Kongstad.
From the L. E. Bruun Collection

Estimate: $12000