2 Mark 'Klippingar' - Johan III

Klippingar — klippe, from the Swedish verb "to clip" — were square or irregularly cut planchets struck when round blanks were unavailable or impractical. Johan III came to power in 1568 after imprisoning his brother Erik XIV, whose mental instability had destabilized Swedish coinage policy through the 1560s. The new reign brought urgent need for circulating silver, and klippe production offered a fast solution: cut the bar, stamp the die, move on.

MB#135 pieces vary noticeably in flan shape, even within the type. The cutting was never meant to be precise.