Watch List notes:

Sweden, Erik XIV SM 18 2 mark 1565 23.50 g. Stockholm. Type with Danish leopards in reverse Coat-of-Arms. Scratches on the rim, lightly corroded. RR. SMB 27. The King of Denmark, Fredrik II's brother Magnus tried to conquer Estonia in 1560, but was pushed back by the Russians. Tallinn therefore sought protection by Sweden under King Erik XIV. Thereafter Magnus was offered a position as suzerain over Estonia, against a salary of approx. 40000 daler yearly. This offer was not accepted, and as a result King Erik XIV banned all trade of Russian goods in the port of Narva. King Erik demanded that all trade with Russian goods must be in the Swedish controlled ports in Viborg or in Tallinn. The Danish could not accept that all trade in The Gulf of Finland was under Swedish control - and taxation. This was the start of the so called Nordic Seven Years' War. It has been told that in 1562 the Swedish delegation attended a negotiation meeting in Copenhagen with Erik XIV's new Coat-of-Arms which included depictions of the three Danish leopards and the Norwegian rising lion! A few years later the Swedish 1 and 2 mark coins was used in a similar political game. The renowned numismatist C. R. Berch in 1773 writes the following on the 2 mark 1565: "Slagit til repressalier, för det at Dana-konungen hade börjat bruka Sweriges tre kronor." (Struck as a reprisals as the Danish King had started to use the Three Crowns of Sweden). On the obverse of the specimen offered here we can thus see the three Danish leopards and the Norwegian rising lion. This historically intriguing occurrence is present only on the mark denominations issued by Erik XIV 1564-1568. In the case of the 2 mark denomination it is only 1565 and 1567 this is shown. Coins of the former date, i.e. this coin, are scarce and rarely offered, while the latter date is extremely rare. 1+