1/2 Öre - Johan III Type I

Johan III came to power in 1568 by overthrowing and imprisoning his own brother Erik XIV, whose mental instability had destabilized Swedish coinage policy considerably. The half öre issued in the opening years of his reign reflects the degraded billon standard inherited from that turmoil — .105 fine silver was barely enough to justify calling it a silver coin at all.

The Type I designation separates these early strikes from later variants issued as Johan's monetary ambitions shifted alongside his controversial Catholic sympathies and ongoing war with Russia.