Christian II seized Gotland from the Hanseatic city of Lübeck in 1520 after a brief military campaign, and the subsequent coinage issued from Visby reflects that transitional moment — the island changing hands yet again in its long history of contested control. The "tall flag" designation distinguishes this die variety from the more common short-flag type catalogued by Hauberg, a difference visible in the vexillum proportions that collectors and dealers use to separate the two.
Christian II was deposed just three years later, in 1523, making his Gotlandic issues among the shortest-lived of any Scandinavian regal series.
Christian II seized Gotland from the Hanseatic city of Lübeck in 1520 after a brief military campaign, and the subsequent coinage issued from Visby reflects that transitional moment — the island changing hands yet again in its long history of contested control. The "tall flag" designation distinguishes this die variety from the more common short-flag type catalogued by Hauberg, a difference visible in the vexillum proportions that collectors and dealers use to separate the two.
Christian II was deposed just three years later, in 1523, making his Gotlandic issues among the shortest-lived of any Scandinavian regal series.