1/4 mark, Reval, Erik XIV, 1562

This coin was made in Estonia but issued by King Erik XIV of Sweden. Why were Swedish coins minted on Estonian soil?

Estonia was under threat from a Russian invasion, and Sweden was considered strong enough to protect the country. That was why Estonia surrendered to Sweden in 1561. It retained the right to issue its own coins, but now Sweden also minted coins in the capital of Estonia, in the present-day Tallinn.

Erik XIV was the first Swedish king to mint coins in Estonia, but Swedish minting continued until 1681 when Karl XI was king. Sweden lost Estonia under the Peace of Uusikaupunki (Nystad) in 1721, after the Great Northern War.

Image rights: Helena Bonnevier, Ekonomiska museet - Kungliga myntkabinettet/SHM (CC BY 4.0)

Object number: 107406_KMK

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