8 mark, Johan III, 1570
Both at the beginning and at the end of King John III's reign, he had klippe coins, square-cut coins, struck in silver. The highest denomination was 8 marks and was issued in 1570. On the obverse (front) we see the crowned symbol of the Vasa dynasty, the vase, surrounded by the abbreviation I(OHANNES) R(EX) - King Johan and the denomination 8 M(ark), as well as an S in the bottom corner for the mint town of Stockholm, where the coin was produced. On the reverse, we see the king's motto in Latin: ‘DEUS PROTECTOR NOST(E)R’, ‘God our protector’, around three crowns. Above it is the year of minting ‘70’.
