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1 Mark - Gustav Vasa Bust type II
| Issuer | Sweden |
|---|---|
| Year | 1556 |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
| Weight | 11.84 g |
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| Obverse description | Armored and crowned half-length effigy of King Gustav Vasa facing right, holding a raised sword in his right hand and a globus cruciger in his left, symbolizing royal sovereignty over Sweden. The figure is rendered in a bold Renaissance style typical of mid-sixteenth-century Swedish coinage. The royal bust is contained within an inner circle, with the Latin legend disposed in the surrounding annular field. |
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| Reverse description | A crown of Sweden is displayed at the top, presiding over three heraldic shields arranged in a triangular composition. The upper-left shield bears the Three Crowns of Sweden, and the upper-right shield bears the Folkung Lion; the lower shield displays the Vasa sheaf arms and bisects the final two digits of the date, one digit to each side. The entire armorial group is enclosed within an inner circle, with the Latin scriptural legend occupying the outer annular field. |
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| Additional information |
Gustav Vasa's mark coinage of the 1550s reflects the monetary disorder of his later reign, when the king repeatedly debased the silver content of circulating issues to fund military expenditures and the ongoing administrative costs of consolidating Swedish statehood after the break with the Kalmar Union. The shift to .500 fineness was a deliberate policy, not a production inconsistency.
MB#89 distinguishes this as the second bust variety, suggesting sequential die revision within the same year — not unusual for a mint still establishing consistent production standards at Stockholm.