Christian IV's coinage

Mintsite:
Christiania
Mint master:
Anders Pedersen (1628-43) and Peter Grüner the elder (1643-50)
Monetary units:
four-species taler, three-species taler, two-species taler, species taler, half-species taler, quarter-species taler, eighth-species taler, two-mark, mark/16-skilling, eight-skilling, four-skilling, two-skilling, skilling
Edge inscription:
BENEDICTIO DOMINI DIVITES FACIT
Motto:
REGNA FIRMAT PIETAS "Piety strengthens the nations"

Christian IV was, not surprisingly, extremely pleased with the discovery of silver ore in Sandsvćr in 1623. On 31 March 1624 he was presented with the first taler coins minted from Norwegian silver. Two weeks earlier, thanksgiving services had been held in all Danish and Norwegian churches. BENEDICTIO DOMINI DIVITES FACIT, "The Lord's blessing gives wealth", was the edge inscription on the newly struck talers.

In the first four years after the town of Kongsberg and the silverworks were established, the silver was sent to be minted in Copenhagen. In 1628, however, a mint workshop was built under the walls of the Akershus fort in the newly founded Christiania. Here, the Kongsberg silver was to be converted to taler coins. In time, there arose a need for minting coins of smaller denominations as well. During the last year of Christian IV's reign, both skilling and mark pieces were struck here. The latter were one-mark and two-mark pieces of a peculiar appearance with a reverse dominated by a Hebrew inscription. The principal word in the inscription was "Jehovah". Flanked by the Latin words "IUSTUS" and "IUDEX", the inscription meant "Let the Lord be the just judge!" This was a clear expression of Christian IV's indignation over the Swedish violation of the peace.