1/2 Ducat

Zürich's ducat coinage in the early eighteenth century was tied directly to the city's role as a Protestant financial hub in the Confederation, with the mint operating under strict guild oversight that made production runs characteristically small and closely audited. The three-year span of this issue almost certainly reflects a specific authorization by the city council rather than continuous minting — Zürich did not strike on demand but by formal decree.

The .986 fineness slightly exceeds the Venetian ducat standard, a deliberate choice that helped Zürich's gold trade favorably in northern European merchant circuits.