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1 Batzen
| Issuer | Free City of Kempten |
|---|---|
| Year | 1510-1520 |
| Type | Standard circulation coin |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| Diameter | Log in to see details |
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| Obverse description | Log in to see details |
|---|---|
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| Reverse description | Central field displays a crowned heraldic composition consisting of two conjoined coats of arms — the Austrian and Burgundian shields — supported by or set upon the breast of an eagle, referencing the authority of Archduke Charles of Austria. The surrounding circular legend reads KAROLVS ARCHIDVX AVSTRIE DVX BURGV, identifying Charles as Archduke of Austria and Duke of Burgundy, struck in Gothic lettering. The flan is characteristic of hand-hammered silver production, with slight irregularities at the rim. The overall engraving style reflects the transitional late Gothic idiom of early sixteenth-century German municipal coinage. |
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| Edge | Plain |
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| Additional information |
Kempten's status as a Free Imperial City was perpetually contested — the Abbots of Kempten, who ruled the surrounding territory, clashed repeatedly with the city's burghers over jurisdictional and fiscal rights throughout the early sixteenth century. The right to strike coin was itself a political statement, and the Batzen denomination, introduced across southern German cities in the late fifteenth century, became the standard workhorse of trans-Alpine trade precisely during this window.
The Batzen equaled four Kreuzer, a valuation that made it practical for market transactions without requiring larger silver coinage. Kempten's civic mint output from this period survives in small numbers.