1/2 Batzen - Frederick I

Neuchâtel's status as a principality under Prussian sovereignty — Frederick I of Prussia having secured the territory in 1707 following a contested succession among fourteen rival claimants — made its coinage an assertion of Hohenzollern authority over a francophone Swiss enclave. The multiple Froidevaux varieties cataloged for this single two-year issue suggest the local mint worked from several die pairings in rapid succession, likely to meet immediate circulation demand rather than any planned series.