Second-heaviest coin in classical numismatics sells at Berlin auction
One would hardly call a 13in x 2ft 1in (34 x 63cm) copper block, weighing more than 32 pounds (14.6kg), a convenient method of payment, but in the mid-17th century such plates were indeed issued in Sweden under King Charles X Gustav.
Due to a shortage of silver, the decision was made in 1644 to produce weighty copper plates with a…