1/2 Guldiner

The monetary union of the three Forest Cantons — Uri, Schwyz, and Unterwalden — was a practical arrangement born from the difficulties of conducting trade across cantonal borders with incompatible coinage. This half Guldiner belongs to the period when the Swiss Confederation was simultaneously expanding its territorial reach through mercenary dominance in Italy and navigating the monetary pressures that came with it. The Guldiner itself was a relatively new denomination concept in the early sixteenth century, the large silver taler-weight coin having only emerged in the Tyrol in the 1480s.

The 45-year emission window for this type reflects long die use rather than continuous striking.