1/2 Dicken Saint Maurice, date on obverse

Lucerne's half dicken issues of this period were struck during the fractious years of the Thirty Years' War, when Swiss cantons faced constant pressure to supply mercenaries and maintain hard currency reserves against a flood of debased foreign coin crossing the border. The city's output of smaller silver denominations in 1620–22 reflects deliberate monetary policy: keep fractional silver circulating domestically while larger trade pieces drained outward.

Wielandt's reference for this type notes a date appearing on the obverse — unusual placement for the series — which has led to minor cataloguing disagreements between Wielandt and Haas regarding die attribution across the three-year window.