Johan III died in November 1592, and this issue belongs to the final year of a reign marked by bitter religious conflict — his attempt to reintroduce Catholic liturgical elements through the so-called "Red Book" had fractured the Swedish church and alienated the Protestant nobility for over a decade. The Type II designation distinguishes it from earlier mark coinage of his reign through die modifications made as the mint struggled to maintain consistent billon alloy standards during the 1580s and early 1590s.
MB#209 is among the scarcer Johan III mark types in circulated grades, as output from the Stockholm mint was irregular in his final years.
Johan III died in November 1592, and this issue belongs to the final year of a reign marked by bitter religious conflict — his attempt to reintroduce Catholic liturgical elements through the so-called "Red Book" had fractured the Swedish church and alienated the Protestant nobility for over a decade. The Type II designation distinguishes it from earlier mark coinage of his reign through die modifications made as the mint struggled to maintain consistent billon alloy standards during the 1580s and early 1590s.
MB#209 is among the scarcer Johan III mark types in circulated grades, as output from the Stockholm mint was irregular in his final years.