1 Batzen

Uri was among the smallest and poorest of the Swiss cantons, and its decision to strike coinage in 1811 was partly a political assertion of sovereignty during a period when Napoleonic reorganization had recently dissolved the Helvetic Republic and restored cantonal authority. Billon — the debased silver-copper alloy used here — was the practical choice for a minor issuer with limited metal resources. The 1811 issue is scarce simply because Uri had neither the population nor the commerce to require large mintages.