DENMARK. Christian IV, 1588-1648. Krone 1620 (Silver, 38 mm, 18.52 g, 5 h), variety with 'Z' in date. •D:G:DANI• - CHRISTIANUS• - IIII Christian IV crowned and in full armor standing right, holding scepter in his right hand and sword in his left. Rev. NORVEGI•VANDALOR:GOTORU:Q•REX // 1-6-Z-0 / •R•F•P• Crown. Davenport 3517. Hede 106A. Sieg 84.3. An attractive example with beautiful old cabinet toning. Very light doubling and with minor scratches on the obverse, otherwise, extremely fine.


During the Thirty Years' War (1618-1648), Christian IV unsuccessfully attempted to transform his kingdom into a European great power. His military defeats were also reflected in the state of his monetary system. High-quality silver coins were scarce during the war. The 'R F P' on our coin officially stood for regnat firmat pietas ('Piety strengthens the monarchy' in Latin). However, the impoverished rural population, who rarely encountered coins as valuable as these Krones, interpreted 'R F P' in Danish as riget fattes penge, meaning: The state is out of money!