Frederick III 4 Skilling

The 4 Skilling coin from Frederick III's reign was struck in bronze at a time when Denmark faced severe silver shortages, forcing a shift to base metals for everyday currency.

This made it a workhorse in the economy, circulating widely during wars and trade disruptions. The obverse typically shows the king's bust, while the reverse features the royal arms, with minor design tweaks across the years from 1648 to 1670. Mintage figures are murky; records from that era often vanished in later fires or neglect.

One oddity: these coins sometimes turned up with unusual patinas, as if the bronze itself grew tired of the northern climate.