4 mark, Kalmar, Karl IX, 1603
<p>In the autumn of 1603, Karl was in Kalmar for one of his many Livonian campaigns. Karl probably had new gold and silver coins minted because of the impending campaign. </p><p>There was no mintmaster in Kalmar, and so the task was given to two of the town’s goldsmiths. The coins struck were klippings, square coins, which are easier to make than round coins. The obverse (front) simply reads C D S – Carolus Dux Sudermannia, Charles (Karl) Duke of Södermanland, over the 4-mark denomination. On the reverse (back) is a crowned sheaf, the coat of arms of the House of Vasa, together with the year 1603. </p>
Image rights: Helena Bonnevier, Ekonomiska museet - Kungliga myntkabinettet/SHM (CC BY 4.0)
Object number: 108718_KMK
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