Five coins from the collection
An early attempt to compare individual 1771 skillings.
Before 1900 · Early die study
An Early Study of the 1771 Skilling
Among the less familiar material associated with the 1771 skilling is a group of coins and handwritten observations preserved from a collection assembled before 1900. The notes offer an early example of detailed die comparison.
This material comes from a collection assembled before 1900 and shows that detailed study of the 1771 skilling has a long history. The collector did considerably more than simply separate different-looking coins: measurements and written observations include the height of the “1” on the reverse, the distance between “K” and “M”, and notes on how individual letters are positioned in relation to one another.
Frank Pedersen presented this collection in his 1991 book 1 skilling 1771. The surviving coins and notes provide an unusually early glimpse of the same kind of systematic comparison that later developed into modern die studies.
Collector's notes
Measurements and observations used to distinguish the coins.
Later uses
Objects Made with 1771 Skillings
The 1771 skilling also appears in objects made long after the coins had ceased to circulate. The examples below show coins reused or incorporated into personal and decorative objects. Their precise dates and backgrounds are not always known, but they illustrate another part of the long afterlife of the 1771 skilling. The pin is clearly not made from a genuine 1771 skilling, but it is nevertheless an amusing curiosity.
Button
Mug
Pin
Pendant
Marks added after minting · Related pieces
Countermarks
Countermarks are letters, monograms, symbols or other devices punched into a coin after the coin itself had already been struck. They therefore do not form part of the original die design, but represent a later intervention in the life of the coin. The purpose of an individual countermark is not always known: some can be recognised or associated with a particular symbol or authority, while others survive only as unexplained letters or simple figures.
The 1771 skilling is known with a wide range of such marks. This page gathers the examples currently documented on the site. Where the meaning of a mark is uncertain, it is presented without assigning a purpose that the evidence does not support. The final subsection shows a related but different object: a so-called blacksmith coin, presented separately because it is not a countermark.
2 monogram countermarks
Christian VII
These two examples carry countermarks formed as the monogram of Christian VII. They are shown separately from the more varied letters and symbols below because the device itself can be recognised.
#1
#2
14 examples
Other Countermarks
The remaining countermarks show a variety of letters, letter combinations and simple figures. Their purpose or origin is uncertain, so they are presented here as Countermarks #1–#14 without assigning interpretations that the evidence does not support.
#1
#2
#3
#4
#5
#6
#7
#8
#9
#10
#11
#12
#13
#14
Related piece
Blacksmith Coin
The final example is a so-called blacksmith coin. Unlike the countermarked pieces above, it is shown here as a separate satirical object: a crudely made coin used to mock the royals. Both sides of the piece are shown below.
Reverse
Obverse
Coins Overstruck on 1771 Skilling
The 1771 skilling was occasionally reused as a planchet for later coin issues and patterns. Examples are illustrated below.
12 skilling 1812
12 skilling 1812 — Reverse
12 skilling 1812 — Obverse
1/3 skilling (n.d.)
1/3 skilling (n.d.) — Reverse
1/3 skilling (n.d.) — Obverse
1 skilling 1824
1 skilling 1824 — Reverse
1 skilling 1824 — Obverse
French 10 centimes 1848
10 centimes 1848 — #1
10 centimes 1848 — #2
10 centimes 1848 — #3
10 centimes 1848 — #4
For further details on the French pattern coins, see Frank Pedersen’s article Franske prøvemønter præget på danske mønter (PDF), published in Numismatisk Rapport, no. 110, September 2011, pp. 11–13 (Dansk Numismatisk Forening).
1771 Skilling Overstruck on Other Coins
A remarkable example of a 1771 skilling struck on an earlier Swedish 1 ör of Adolf Fredrik (1751–1768). Frank Pedersen describes clear traces of the Swedish undertype on both sides: crossed arrows and “1 ör SM” on the obverse, and parts of the crowned monogram and three crowns on the reverse. The coin also retains the Swedish diagonal-patterned edge.
At 14.1 g and 34.1 mm in diameter, it is considerably heavier and larger than an ordinary 1771 skilling (averaging 11.1 g and 29.5 mm). Pedersen regarded the coin as a unique, probably unauthorized striking, possibly caused by a Swedish coin accidentally entering the supply of blanks at the Copenhagen Mint.
1771 skilling on Swedish 1 ör
Reverse
Obverse
For the full account, see Frank Pedersen’s article Unik 1 skilling 1771 på svensk 1 ör (PDF), published in Møntsamleren, no. 2 (2001), pp. 8–9.
Historical sources · 1775/76
Contemporary Counterfeits
Historical sources report that a significant quantity of false 1 skilling 1771 coins was detected in western Norway in 1775/76. The counterfeiters were never identified, and the surviving records give no detailed description that allows the coins to be recognised with certainty today.
Frank Pedersen later proposed a crude 1771 skilling in the collection of the Royal Mint at Kongsberg as a possible survivor. He pointed to its unusually uneven lettering, irregular and incomplete rim, small diameter and low weight, and unusually broad 7s. The identification was presented as a reasoned proposal rather than a documented provenance.
We do not currently have photographs on this site of a coin that can be securely linked to the 1775/76 counterfeiting. For the historical background and Pedersen's proposed example, see Frank Pedersen's article at Dansk Mønt.
Later imitations
Later Counterfeits
Unlike the reported counterfeits of 1775/76, the three examples below are not contemporary with the original coinage. They are later imitations with different characteristics and uncertain or partly known origins.
Example 1
Counterfeit #1
This counterfeit has been known among collectors for many years, probably since the 1970s. Its maker, place of manufacture and original purpose are unknown to us.
Reverse
Obverse
Example 2 · c. 2020
Counterfeit #2
This counterfeit appeared just before 2020 and was sold online from China. Its design is based on the genuine die pairing A322/AO362.
Reverse
Obverse
Example 3 · several known
Counterfeit #3
A rather unusual counterfeit known in at least two samples. It is a close copy of a worn coin struck from the A783/AO781 die pairing and is made largely from tin and lead.
Reverse
Copy of A783
Obverse
Copy of AO781