1/2 Batzen

Nidwalden struck this coin as one of the last gasps of cantonal monetary independence before Swiss federal standardization steadily eroded the patchwork of local issues. The canton had only recently reasserted itself following the brutal French suppression of the 1798 uprising — an event in which Nidwalden suffered proportionally greater losses than almost any other Swiss community — and these small billon pieces circulated in a region still rebuilding its administrative and economic footing.

Billon coinage of this quality from minor Swiss cantons survives poorly; most circulated hard until replacement.