Christian VII

Christian VII and the regency

Christian VII became king in 1766 and formally reigned until 1808, but he was mentally ill and never governed in practice. In 1770–1772 the royal physician Johann Friedrich Struensee held power and introduced, among other things, freedom of the press, before he was overthrown and executed in 1772. From 1784 the crown prince, later Frederik VI, ruled as regent in his father’s name.

Changes in the coinage

The reign brought several changes. Copper skilling coins were introduced in 1771, and the small silver skilling disappeared after 1780, which makes the 1 skilling 1780 in this category one of the last of its kind. According to Norges Bank, the Kongsberg mint struck large quantities of speciemynt, the high-value silver coins, from 1775. The 2/3 speciedaler of 1796 belongs to this production and weighs about 19 grams. The 4 skilling of 1788 is a smaller silver coin for everyday use.

The 1771 skilling

The copper skilling with the date 1771 was struck for years after that date, in Copenhagen, Altona and, from 1783, at Kongsberg. The coin here has the misspelled reverse legend SKILLIING M K. Such spelling errors are collected separately, see 1771-feilpreg.

What do collectors look for?

On the speciedaler coins, look at portrait details, surface and edge, and check for cleaning or mounting marks. On small skilling coins, which can weigh under one gram, a sharp date and legend count most. The 4 skilling of 1788 here is in Extremely Fine condition, which is uncommon for a coin made for daily use.

See also Frederik V and Frederik VI.