The Coin Wiki

Sweden — Red Book Chapter

Sweden’s coinage runs from the medieval daler (introduced 1534, renamed riksdaler in 1604) through the copper plate money era, and into the modern krona born of the Scandinavian Monetary Union — formed with Denmark in 1873, joined by Norway in 1875, fixed to gold at 2,480 kronor per kilogram of pure gold, and broken down in 1914. Union-era Swedish gold circulated at par with Danish and Norwegian gold of identical specification.

Denominations

1 Daler Copper Plate Money (Plåtmynt) (1644–1766)

  • Issued: 1644–1766 (formal abandonment of the copper standard in November 1766)
  • Composition: copper plates — the largest coins ever struck; the original 1-daler plate weighed roughly 3.5 pounds (~1.6 kg), falling to roughly 540–740 g on later issues while the nominal silver equivalence was retained
  • Key dates: denominations ran from half a daler to 10 dalers (the 10-daler plate, up to 20 kg, was discontinued in 1648; the 8-daler in 1682)
  • Notable varieties: hammered sheets stamped in the four corners with the ruler’s name/initials and year, denomination stamped in the center, blank reverse. Most plates were later melted; originals — including shipwreck recoveries such as the 1783 Nicobar wreck — are scarce. Cast copies exist, so weight, dimensions, and sharp stamped detail are the diagnostics

In this wiki:

Value: Check live sold listings on the linked guide before buying or pricing.

1 Krona Silver (1875–1967)

  • Issued: 1875–1967 (the first 1-krona pieces carry the date 1875; silver ended 1968)
  • Composition: .800 fine silver, 7.5 g, 25 mm, 6 g fine silver — stepped down in 1942 to 7 g with 2.8 g fine silver (.400); no silver from 1968 (copper-nickel), replaced by copper-plated steel in 2016
  • Key dates: the silver-content steps (pre-1942, 1942–1967) are the value lines; post-1968 pieces are base-metal
  • Notable varieties: the 25 mm format held nearly constant for a century while the silver came out — check composition by date before assuming melt

In this wiki:

Value: Check live sold listings on the linked guide before buying or pricing. For metal value, use the melt calculator.

2 Kronor Silver (1876–1940)

  • Issued: 1876–1940 (Oscar II 1876–1880, KM742; Gustaf V 1910–1940, KM787)
  • Composition: .800 fine silver, 15 g, 31 mm (0.3858 oz ASW)
  • Key dates: early Oscar II dates carry low mintages — 370,000 for 1876 EB and just 63,000 for 1880 EB (NGC records)
  • Notable varieties: the 1880 issue exists with “OCH” fully spelled out in the obverse legend (“OSCAR II SVERIGES OCH NORGES KONUNG”) — a recognized scarce variety. The portrait was engraved by Lea Ahlborn (1826–1897), Sweden’s first female royal printmaker
  • Mintage highlights: 63,000 (1880 EB) — the low-water mark of the Oscar II type

In this wiki:

Value: Check live sold listings on the linked guide before buying or pricing. For metal value, use the melt calculator.

20 Kronor Gold, Oscar II (1873–1902)

  • Issued: 1873–1902 (KM733)
  • Composition: .900 fine gold, 8.9606 g, 23 mm, 0.2593 oz actual gold weight — identical specification to Danish and Norwegian union gold, interchangeable at par
  • Key dates: the 1873 first-year issues are the most collected dates in the series
  • Notable varieties: obverse legend names Oscar II king of both Sweden and Norway (“OSCAR II SVERIGES OCH NORGES KONUNG”); reverse carries the motto “BRÖDRAFOLKENS VÄL” (the welfare of the brother peoples)
  • Mintage highlights: 115,000 for the 1873-ST issue (Heritage Auctions lot records)

In this wiki:

Value: Check live sold listings on the linked guide before buying or pricing. For metal value, use the melt calculator.

Bullion & modern issues

Sweden issues no modern bullion coin. The 20 Kronor gold of Oscar II above is the signature Swedish gold piece and the anchor of any Scandinavian gold collection — frequently traded as near-bullion world gold.

In this wiki:

Value: Check live sold listings on the linked guide before buying or pricing. For metal value, use the melt calculator.

Using this chapter

Values move; always check live sold listings on the linked guides. Key dates and high-value pieces require authentication.

Values move — always check sold listings on the linked entries before buying or pricing. Plate money demands authentication (cast copies circulate; verify weight, dimensions, and stamp sharpness against a certified example), and low-mintage union silver dates warrant certified examples too.

Europe Red Book v2 research chapter, published September 15, 2026. Values are intentionally excluded; use authenticated sold-market evidence.


Market check