1/2 Örtug - Sten Sture the Elder Regency

Sten Sture the Elder governed Sweden not as king but as regent, having secured his position at the Battle of Brunkeberg in 1471 — a decisive defeat of Danish forces under Christian I that ended serious Kalmar Union pressure on Swedish autonomy for a generation. Coinage issued under his regency carries no royal title for the obvious reason that none existed to claim.

The half örtug was the smallest practical silver denomination in circulation, and surviving pieces are frequently found with significant die rust and uneven flans — a reflection of the modest technical infrastructure of Swedish minting operations in this period.