Back in 2012, I posted about a "cousin" to the 1938 Delaware commemorative half dollar - the commemorative Two Kronor coin from Sweden. You can read the post here:
1938 Delaware Cousin.
Today, I offer up another member of the extended Delaware/New Sweden commemorative family.
But first, a bit of history...
Under the leadership of Peter Minuit, two ships left Sweden in December 1637 bound for the New World to establish New Sweden. The larger of the two ships was the
Kalmar Nyckel, with the smaller being the
Fogel Grip. The ships arrived in the New World in March 1638, sailing first through Delaware Bay and then up the Delaware River, and then up a smaller river that was accessed from the Delaware's western shore; they would name the smaller river the Christina River in honor of Queen Christina of Sweden. They landed at a rock outcropping a couple of miles from the mouth of the river in what is today Wilmington, Delaware. From the local Native Americans, the Lenni-Lenape, Peter Minuit purchased the "land from the Christina River down to Bombay Hook" (roughly the northern half of present-day Delaware) and claimed it for Sweden -- it was the start of the colony of New Sweden. The majority of those that came to America to start and develop New Sweden traced their roots to Sweden and Finland; it's important to realize that Finland was a part of Sweden at the time it launched its colonization expeditions.
In 1988, the 350th anniversary of New Sweden was celebrated with a pair of commemorative coins from Sweden (one silver, one gold) and a joint stamp issue involving the US, Sweden and Finland.
First up, the silver 100 Kronor coin which features a portrait of Carl XVI Gustaf, the King of Sweden, on its obverse. The coin's commemorative reverse depicts the
Kalmar Nyckel - the ship that brought the original settlers to the colony - as it heads toward America. Also seen is a small map of the area settled by Sweden in the 1600s - primarily Delaware and southern New Jersey. "Christina," seen above the map, was the name of the first Swedish settlement (Fort Christina); it was located in present-day Wilmington, DE.
Above "Christina" are three crowns interspersed with the letters "C" "R" and "S". The letters are an abbreviation for "Christina Regina Sueciae" (English translation: Queen Christina of Sweden) which appeared on the obverse of the copper 1/4 Ore coins issued during her reign; Christina's reign was from 1632 to 1654.
Images are courtesy of Sveriges Riksbank, the Central Bank of Sweden, https://www.riksbank.se/sv/betalnin...edlar--mynt/The first day of issue for the commemorative stamp program was March 29, 1988 - exactly 350 years after the colonists first stepped ashore on "the rocks" along the Christina River and launched their new colony.
Fleetwood, the folks most known for their first day covers, marked the 1988 anniversary with a philatelic-numismatic combination/cover (PNC) that included each of the 1988-issued stamps, and an example of Sweden'a 1938 Two Kronor coin - not one of the 1988 coins!
To round things out, here's my 1936 (1938) Delaware Tercentenary Half Dollar:
I've posted several times about the Delaware Half Dollar, check the posts out here:
Read More: Commems CollectionIf you like stamps/first day covers (FDCs), this thread might be of interest:
1988 New Sweden Joint Issue Covers
Posted 01/18/2021 4:53 pm
