Rare issue minted on the occasion of the transport of the body of King Gustav II Adolf to Stockholm.
The coin is modeled on a medal by S. Dadler.
The coin has been listed on the world market only a few times.
Fine dark layer toning.
Western Pomerania under Sweden, Gustav II Adolf (1632), Posthumous 1/2 Thaler 1634, Wolgast mint
Obverse: full-length figure of King Gustav II Adolf lying on the ground facing up, wearing suit of armour, ermine robe, and crown, his head and feet on pillows, clouds and two winged angels above, carrying the soul of the king to heavens, radiant Tetragrammaton above and battle scene in the background, in field יהוה / VEL MORTUUM FUGIUNT / EUGE SERVE FIDELIS
GUSTAVUS ADOLPHUS MAGNUS DEI GRATIA SUECOR GOTHOR ET VANDALOR REX AUGUSTUS
Reverse: Gustav, wearing armor and holding a Bible and a sword, riding in a chariot drawn by three winged horses over the Hydra of Discord, to left, Faith, holding a Bible topped by a flaming heart and, to right, Courage, holding a column, both crowning the king with a laurel wreath
PRINCEPS PIUS VICTOR INCOMPARAB ET GERM LIBERATOR 1634
Diameter 38 mm, weight 14.25 g
The burial of King Gustav II Adolf did not take place until about a year and a half after his death. Preparations began in Germany with the embalming of the royal body in Weissenfels. The sarcophagus was then led in a funeral procession to the port town of Wolgast, from where it was to be transported to Sweden. A procession and funeral sermon took place in Wolgast in July 1633, during which coins were thrown out and distributed among the participants. The royal body was then transported by ship across the Baltic Sea to Nyköping, where it remained until the following summer. On the day of the burial, June 22, 1634, all invited mourners gathered at Brännkyrka just outside Stockholm to take part in the solemn procession to Riddarholm Church. The pension master Hans Jörensson joined the funeral procession at the city gate and threw out coins among the people. When the ceremonies were completed, 'honorary pennies' were also distributed to those mourners for whom attending the funeral was particularly difficult.
