The morning call., 1894-05-20

guard which the Swedish hotel-keepers of
his time might have used to append TO
keys. so that guests could not wander
away in ht of abstraction with the open
sesame to ones apartments. BY actual
measurement it is five and half inches
long by four and three-quarters wide, with
an average depth OF an eighth TO three
sixteenths of an inch. Its correct weight
is twenty ounces avOirdupOis. The COM
position is copper from the mines of
into service without special efforts at re-
finement. The weight represents the
value of silver h&lf-dollar, or daler. IN
I'LL. In shape this extraordinary coin is
rectangular, with the corners cut OF Tor
convenience ia handling.
If the coin be taken as a specimen of the
mechanical skill possessed by King
Charles mint the knowledge Of treating
metals mechanically in those days was
very crude indeed. Apparently the cop
persmiths took big ingots of the metal and
hattened them out with heavy sledges
upon anvils, leaving marks of the hammer
at every GLOW, so that ridges and hOllows
were formed on the face of every coin.
When this was done and the weight tested
the cOlner took silver half-daler stamp
and impressed it upon the center of the
bit OF copper bOiler-plate. This stamp had
been used only on silver half-dalers, but
when the white metal disappeared copper
was substituted in proper proportions.
The King said. This is silver" and it was
silver to all iutents and purposes in the
eyes of his patriotic subjects. Then at
each of the four corners was stamped the
reverse silver half-daer sigma crown
with the letters &c. r. S." and the date.
I'LL, underneath, all embossed with
heavy rim. The three letters stood for
Charles King of Sweden.
In the present day King Charles half
daIer has one good ieature-it looks
icff0 il inn vi
digris and concretions of ages have settled
in the crevicss and depressions. With the
softening Influences of time upon its face
IL points backward TO a period when
Norsemen were undergoing a Christening,
and when the higher civilization that fol-
lowed was breaking over the farthest
limits of Europe. There are only half
dozen or so of these relics in existence.
The national Swedish Museum at Stock
holm has few preserved. One was sold
in an auction of a Swedish coin collector
to a German enthusiast at a vey high
price. d. o. Lindstrom of All Geary
street, in this city, is the possessor Of an
other.
Mr.. Lindstrom's coin came to him from
bis father and his fathers father, and so
on since I'LL. 1t has been In his family
for close on to two centuries, and he prizes
1t above price, although be says its value
is between $500 and $1,000. according to
piece were it offered for sale.
ut was Familiarity known as Carlos XII
need CON-, said he. when telling all he
Remembered having heard about the
coin when q boy in Sweden.
1T was coined out of need or necessity
during the war with Russia. Poland and
Denmark. The war drained the resources
of Sweden until all the silver in circulation
went to other countries. Then Sweden's
credit was very low. Baron GoertZ, Min
ister OF Finance. was called:on to meet the
situation, which he solved by getting cop
per from the mines and subs tituting it for
silver. The copper half-daler was worth
exactly as bullion oDe silver half-daler, so
its weight shows the difference in value
between the TWO metals. When people
went to pay large bill they had to pack
the money on horse. Yet the people ac-
cepted 1t willingly because Sweden was at
war and nothing better could be done at
the time than get the money from Swedish
mines.
After being in circulation for two years
the need coins were called IN and DESTROYED
That was after peace was proclaimed and
the country got back its credit. Very few
OF them were kept by the people, who
were only too Slad to get rid of such heavy
metal plates. Now they are exceedingly
rare and valuable. ] got mine from nv
father, who got il from his father with a
tradition that IL was always in our family"
Although Tie SoiuIiOn OF SWeQen's IMAM
cial puzzle In iii was rather ludicrous in
the presence of this outlandish coin there
Is something suggestive of the present
growing disparity between coin metals.
which IN case of intern ational difficulties
might develop condition similar 10 that
which confronted King Charles XII. Were
a nation In the proper frame OF mind to
reject paper currency 1t might then be ne
cessary 10 do as King Charles had done
when he took half-daler's worth OF conner.
and, after stamping il with the silver coin
impression, say: Here, this is q silver
balf-dollar; take il"