class sub-office. Moreover, in all offices of tbe Biksbank anyone is
entitled to have gold coin or Biksbank notes exchanged for small coin.
In 1873 Sweden and Denmark concluded between them a Coinage
Treaty, which 'Norway joined two years later. In accordance with the
terms of this Treaty, all three countries have the same coinage system,
with essentially the same regulations.
The coinage of each country is legal tender in the two other countries. .Each
country is obliged to accept from the Public Treasury of the other countries such
coins bearing the stamp of that country as are legal tender only to the Public
Treasury. Likewise, each country shall accept from the Public Treasury of the
other countries and exchange for gold coins any amount, divisible by 10 kronor,
of token coins which bear the stamp of that country. — No limit is set, as
regards amount, to the right to issue coins, either in the Treaty or in the Swedish
Coinage Act. -
The Treaty shall cease to be in force a year after due notice has been given
by one of the parties, with the proviso that the regulations-above referred to
with regard to the obligation to exchange worn coins and token coins shall be
in force two years after the Treaty has been abrogated.
The amounts in kronor of the Scandinavian coins which were issued up to
1913 inclusive, in accordance with the stipulations of the Coinage Treaty, are
exhibited by the following .conspectus:
Gold Coins:
20-kronor 10-kronor 5-kronor Total
Sweden up to SI/ia 71474500 11762 090 2146 505 85383095
Norway » » » /, . . . . . . 21 428 560 1 214 560 H B H 1 22 643120
Denmark » » ” /» . . . . . . 73 909 040' 13 832 650_____________ — 87 741 690
Total 166 812 100 26 809 300 2 146 505 195 767 905
Only 44 035 kronor were called in by the Mints.
Silver Coins:
0 Billed.
2-kronor 1-kronor 50 Ore 25 ore 10 ora Total itM|n
Sweden . . 7 062 964 15 882 567 3 452 713 6 650 452 4 563 223 37 611919 1 466855
Norway. . 3 922 834 4 676 995 3 213 133 2 004 670 3 107 188 16 924 820 2 465 877
Denmark . 11477 070 6 225 388 — 4 858 106 3 655 706 26 216 270 1 663539
Total 22462 868 26 784950 6 665 846 13513228 11326117 80 753009 5 596271
Bronze Coins:
Total Called in
Sweden............................................... .2 842 723 58 247
N o rw a y ............................................... 1160 350 7 172
Denmark............................................... 2110160 31899
Total 6113288 82 318
The amount of Scandinavian gold coin held by the Riksbank on the 31 De-
cember 1913 was 55 957 745 kronor, and the amount of such gold, coin held
by all others banking companies together was 207 170 kronor.
Hall-marking of Gold, Silver and Pewter Wares.
Legal regulations as to the finess required in gold, silver, and pewter
intended to be wrought into wares have existed from a very early date in
Sweden. The oldest Goldsmiths’ Decree known dates from the year 1529.
At first the hall-marking of these wares was superintended mainly by the
Goldsmiths’ and Pewterers’ Guilds themselves. The Biksguardien, as the
Government official was called who exercised a general superintendence
over the making of gold and silver wares, had duties essentially of a fiscal
nature, and, as a rule, only intervened when there was a suspicion of
embezzlement. The Hall Marks Act of 7 Dec. 1752 placed the actual
fabrication of these wares under State control. These matters were at
first managed by Kontrollverket, or the Assay Office, at Stockholm,
established in the following year. In 1910 they passed over to Mynt- och
justeringsverhet or the Boyal Mint and Assay Office (shortly called
below Boyal Mint). The Act of 1752,. with certain amendments and
appendices was in force until 1912. In that year a new Act was passed
as to the hall-marking of gold and silver wares. That Act entirely'
abolished the hall-marking of pewter wares.
As regards alloys, the legal minimum for gold wares is 760 %>o, and for
silver wares 830 °/oo. In the case of gold three different qualities are hallmarked:
23 carat gold (standard mark: 23 k) with 975 °/oo of gold; 20 carat
gold (standard mark: 20 k) with 840 °/o° of gold, and 18 carat gold (standard
mark: .18 k) with 760 -°/oo of gold. As to silver, only one quality is hallmarked,
namely 830 °/oo, without a standard mark. As in the case of coinage
(see above), certain remedies or deviations from the above standard qualities
are allowed for, namely 5 °/oo for gold wares and 8 °/oo for silver wares. Purther,
soldered wares ' may contain only so much solder tha t the gold, supposing the
ware to be melted, shall not fall more than 10 °/°o below the standard, and the
silver not more than 16 °/°° below the standard. Gold or silver wares may
not be combined with other metals which might easily be taken for gold or
silver.
When gold and silver wares are submitted to be hall-marked, they must be
stamped with (1) the maker’s mark (2) the mark of the place of manufacture
(3) the date mark (from 1759 onwards). Gold wares must also have the standard
mark.
The hall-mark for gold wares is three crowns in a heart-shaped shield for
Swedish wares, and three crowns in an oval shield for foreign wares. Silver
wares have a similar hall-mark, followed by an S. At the capital these hallmarks
are affixed, after due examination, by the Boyal Mint.. In the provinces
hall-marks are affixed by an official, on the faith of the maker’s statements as
to. quality. Samples are then taken of the wares, and these samples are sent
in to the Boyal Mint for examination. I f the maker has made a false declaration
as to the quality of his wares, he renders himself liable to prosecution.
The fee charged for hall-marking is 5 ore per gram of gold, and 3'S3 kronor
per kilogram of silver. Gold wares weighing under 1 gram, and silver wares
weighing under 5 grams, are exempt both from hallmarking and the fee. The
maker, however, is liable to be prosecuted, if it be detected that his wares fall
below the minimum standards.
Gold and silver wares which fall below the minimum standards with remedies
are not allowed to be imported into Sweden. Hence all gold and silver
wares which come from abroad have to be sent up to the Boyal Mint and Assay
Office for examination. If they are up to the required standards, they are hallmarked,
and the fee charged is the same as for Swedish wares. They also pay
an additional fee for every test which has to be made. Wares which fall below
the required standards have to be re-exported. The import of foreign gold and