1 Ducat Silver pattern strike

Regensburg occupied a peculiar constitutional position within the Holy Roman Empire: as the permanent seat of the Reichstag after 1663, it hosted the empire's perpetual diet while simultaneously exercising its own coinage rights as a free imperial city. Pattern strikes like this one were rarely intended for circulation — they were diplomatic objects, presented to visiting dignitaries or submitted for imperial approval. A silver strike from a ducat die exploits the gold denomination's familiar weight standard while substituting an entirely different metal, a practice that served presentation purposes without the bullion cost.