2 Öre - Gustav Vasa Svartsjö mint, bust type II

Gustav Vasa established the Svartsjö mint in the 1540s as part of a broader effort to assert royal control over coin production, pulling output away from ecclesiastical and municipal mints that had operated with considerable independence under previous regimes. The bust type II distinction within this series reflects a die modification made during the run — not a separate issue — and examples attributable to the earlier and later punches do occasionally surface in the same hoards.

Swedish silver of this period ran notoriously debased in practice despite nominal fineness targets, and Vasa himself intervened repeatedly in mint operations, dismissing mint masters when output fell short of revenue expectations.