(sold for $17625.0)

1715,
SWEDEN. Wismar. 8 Schilling Plate Money, 1715. Karl XII (1697-1718).

EXTREMELY RARE Siege of Wismar Cannon Metal Plate Money
From The Last Swedish Stronghold in Germany


3.25 x 3.25 in. KM-119 (under Germany); BT-E; Hauer-1019. EXTREMELY RARE necessity coinage plate made from gun metal at the siege of Wismar during the Great Northern War (1700-21). Wismar was a Swedish possession along the Baltic coast of Germany, having been obtained through the Treaty of Westphalia in 1648. During the Great Northern War it was besieged by a coalition of Danish, Norwegian, Russian, Saxon, Brandenburg-Prussian and Hanoverian troops. Having withstood siege for four years the city finally fell in 1716 being the last remaining outpost of Sweden's Baltic possessions. In autumn of 1715 a severe coinage shortage presented the Swedish garrison with logistical problems, as they lacked the ability to pay troops. To resolve this a decision was made to countermark circulating silver coinage, raising their worth to twice face value. At the same time it was decided to melt down cannons for the production of plate money. The production of said plate money was found to be difficult as it could not be manufactured with the same methods as traditional plate money. Due to the hardness of the metal (similar to the Stockholm cannon money of 1714-1716), blanks could not be made by hammering the metal into sheets. Instead the molten metal had to be poured directly into sheets, hence the crude fabric of these plates. Traditionally blanks were then cut from larger sheets of metal. It is clear that the besieged Swedish forces did not have the proper machinery for sheering planchets, as the edges of these pieces show a series of file or saw marks. Therefore blanks were cut from the cast sheets with some form of saw. Rather than using dies to emboss the banks, these impression were made using single character punches to create the incuse numerals for the date, denomination and inscription. A small cartouche at the top with the letters "NW" for Necessitas Wismariensis was applied above the central circle, which is the same punch used for countermarking silver coinage during the siege. Quite distinct from other plate money of the time, the surfaces are far more rough than the pure copper plates being produced in Sweden at this time. It is reported that during the siege, 1,260 pieces of plate money were produced in six different denominations. However, upon the surrender of the Swedish garrison in April of 1716 most of these plates were collected and destroyed. It is estimated that approximately 60 pieces total are know from all 6 denominations. Of this denomination, only a handful of examples (8-10) are believed to be known, some of which are in museum collections. A true rarity with a remarkable provenance.

Pedigree: From the Stanley Aberdeen Collection.
type to read more
Price
This coin has been sold for   $17625.0

Notes: http://www.stacksbowers.com/archivedetail.aspx?productid=2990613 1762500 2014-12-05

Page Cache: http://static.coinshome.net/page-cache/523a3ea5741149d3a15d38542c69a6df.html
Posted by: anonymous
2015-04-30
 
2024-03-27 - New coin is added to 1 Ducat Italy Silver


    1 Ducat Italy Silver
group has    5 coins / 5 prices



Italien-Venedig, Francesco Loredano Ducato o.J. GAC. Davenport 1551, Gamberini 1595. Fast vorzüglich
2024-03-26 - New coin is added to 5 Escudo Second Portuguese Republic (1933 - 1974) Silver


    5 Escudo Second Portuguese Republic (1933 - 1974) Silver
group has    2 coins / 1 prices



PORTUGAL 5 Escudos 1960 - Silver 0.65 - Henry the Navigator - aUNC - 58 *
You may be interested in ...
Market
Dynasty tree and coins
Check yourself!

Coin Puzzle
Coins Prices