Plate Money 10 Daler

These copper plates for the 10 Daler were so massive—sometimes weighing up to 20 kilograms—that they had to be hauled around like awkward furniture, not tucked into a pocket.

That bulk came from Sweden's abundance of copper, which the government used to back their currency from 1644 onward. The plates were rectangular, stamped with the denomination and royal insignia, and designed to deter counterfeiting through their sheer size. No small feat in an era when trust in money was as thin as the metal itself.

Production varied by year, with some plates recycled from older stock. We don't know the exact mintage figures; records from that period are spotty at best. What is clear is that these plates circulated as trade goods, especially in international deals, until inflation rendered them obsolete by 1776.

As for myths, I've heard tales of them being used as doorstops. Once, I suppose, but not often.