Newp: Near-flawless 1809 Danish Medal

Rexford

Denmark 1807 silver “Mint Visit” medal by C.H. Küchler and Johannes Conradsen, NGC MS67. When I first saw this piece, I assumed it was a Soho Mint production based on the presence of Küchler (an engraver for the Soho Mint under Matthew Boulton) as an engraver and on the general fabric of the piece and quality of its production. As it turns out, in 1809, the Copenhagen mint modernized their minting process by importing copies of Matthew Boulton’s machinery from the Soho mint (the second foreign mint to do so after St. Petersburg in 1807) and this piece was struck in commemoration of the visit of Frederick VI to the mint to view the new process. The reverse, by Küchler, exhibits the portrait of the deceased Christian VII (1749-1808), the father of Frederick VI.

I was curious as to why a British and a Danish engraver would be on the same piece, and the portrait by Küchler looked familiar. After a short search, I was able to die-match the Küchler side to the obverse die for a pattern Speciedaler produced for Denmark at the Soho Mint in 1805.

Thus it would seem that the pattern Speciedaler dies were given by Soho to the Copenhagen mint (a fact already recognized, as Copenhagen would later produce restrikes of the pattern) and the obverse die was used along with a Frederick VI portrait die by Conradsen to produce this medal on the new Boulton machinery—a union of both minting technology and diesinking work between the two countries. Given the timing of its production and the nature of its subject, this very well may be the first truly “modern” coin or medal type struck within Denmark.

TwoKopeiki

Great medal and numismatic research. Well done!

coinkat

terrific look- I do not recall seeing this medal before