2 Mark - Karl X Gustav Maria Eleonora's funeral

Maria Eleonora of Brandenburg, widow of Gustav II Adolf, died in 1655 after a turbulent final decade — she had been effectively held under house arrest in Sweden for years, having attempted to flee the country with her daughter Christina. Karl X Gustav, who had inherited the throne from that same daughter, commissioned this commemorative issue for the funeral. Swedish memorial coinage of the mid-17th century was struck in limited quantities for ceremonial distribution rather than circulation, which accounts for the relative survival rate in better condition.