1/3 riksdaler, Stockholm, Gustav III, 1778
This coin is a so-called largesse coin (kastmynt, literally 'throwing coin') in the denomination 1/3 riksdaler that King Gustav III had struck after the birth of his son Crown Prince Gustaf Adolf on 1 November 1778. The coins were thrown from three horse-drawn carriages to the people lining the streets of Stockholm on New Year's Eve. The tradition of tossing coins began at the coronation of Gustav Vasa and ended after the burial of Charles XIV Johan in 1844.
The sheaf on the reverse (back side) of the coin points backwards in time, towards Gustav Vasa and the coat of arms of the Vasa family, a vase (sheaf). At the same time, the text ‘Fortplantad’ (propagated) and ‘Gläder än ett tidvarv’ (rejoicing for another age) point forwards in time.
