View source for Sweden (1470-1503)-A 1/2 ortug

[[Image:SB225-11217o.jpg|300px|thumb|from the Stack's Bowers February 2025 Collectors Choice sale, lot 11217]]
[[Image:SB225-11217r.jpg|300px|thumb]]

This specimen was lot 11217 in Stack's Bowers Collectors Choice Online Auction (Costa Mesa, CA, February 2025), where it sold for €288 (about US$300). The catalog description<sup>[1]</sup> noted, "[[Sweden|SWEDEN]]. 1/2 Örtug, ND (1470-1503). Västerås Mint. Sten Sture d.ä. NGC MS-61. Very rare variation with obverse legend on both sides and in an attractive condition. From the L. E. Bruun Collection." Sten Sture the Elder was regent of Sweden in the late fifteenth century as the Union of Kalmar gradually broke up. Wikipedia comments, <blockquote>"Örtug or ortig was a medieval currency unit in Sweden. It was originally minted as a silver coin in 1370 during the reign of king Albert of Sweden. The coin weighed about 1.3 grams and consisted of 81% silver. As time passed, the örtug was debased: during the reign of Eric of Pomerania, the örtug contained 0.88 grams of silver; under Christian I, 0.7 grams; and in 1534 only 0.54 grams of silver. During the reign of Gustav Vasa (1523–1560), the monetary system of Sweden was reformed: an örtug was now subdivided into 12 pennings, not 8 as before, while still valued as one third of an öre."</blockquote> One mark = 24 örtug. We're pretty sure the large "A" on the obverse is not a mintmark but we're using it as one to separate this from the issues of the [[Sweden (1470-1503)-S 1/2 ortug|Stockholm mint]].

''Recorded mintage:'' unknown.

''Specification:'' 0.68 g, billon, 17.3 mm diameter, this specimen 0.93 g. 

''Catalog reference:'' Delzanno-419; Lagerqvist-17; Bruun-11360. 

''[[Bibliography|Source:]]'' 
* Delzanno, Roberto, ''Myntårsboken 2022, Sveriges Mynt 995-2021, 1:a upplagen'', Stockholm, 2021.
* <sup>[1]</sup>Orsini, Matt, Kyle Ponterio and Jeremy Bostwick, ''February 2025 World Collectors Choice Online Auction - Ancients, World Coins & World Paper Money, David B. Simpson Medals & World Coins Part 1, Selections from the Richard Margolis Collection, and Selections from the L. E. Bruun Collection,'' Costa Mesa, CA: Stack's Bowers Galleries, Inc., 2025.

''Links to:''
* [[Sweden (1457-64) ortug|(1457-64) örtug]]
* [[Sweden (1470-1503)-S 1/2 ortug|(1470-1503) half örtug, Stockholm mint]]
* [[Sweden (1470-1503) ortug|(1470-1503) örtug, Västerås mint]]
* [[Sweden (1504-12) 1/2 ortug|(1504-12) half örtug, Västerås mint]]
* [[Coins and currency dated 1470]]

[[Category:Selections from the Stack's Bowers 2025 Collectors Choice sale]]