1 Batzen

Bern struck billon coinage through the 1820s under its own cantonal authority, a practice that became increasingly untenable as Switzerland moved toward monetary unification. The 1826 issue predates the Federal Coinage Act of 1850 by nearly a quarter century, during which time Swiss cantons issued mutually incompatible denominations that merchants and travelers were forced to reconcile by hand.

KM#194 is not a scarce type, but survivors in crisp condition are harder to locate than mintage logic would suggest — billon's low silver content made these coins candidates for remelting once federal standards replaced them.