2 Öre 'Klippingar' - Erik XIV

Erik XIV's klippingar were emergency square-cut coins, produced during a period of severe fiscal strain as Sweden prosecuted the Northern Seven Years' War against Denmark beginning in 1563. The billon content reflects deliberate debasement — Erik's treasury was under sustained pressure, and reducing fineness was the fastest lever available to a mint already working at capacity.

Erik himself was deposed in 1568 and died in prison, almost certainly poisoned, in 1577. His coinage survives as the administrative record of a reign that came apart at both ends.