Johann Jakob Khuen von Belasi served as Archbishop of Salzburg from 1560 to 1586, one of the longer and more politically stable tenures of the Counter-Reformation period in the region. Klippe thalers — struck in square or lozenge form rather than round — were almost never intended for commerce. They functioned as presentation pieces, distributed at court as marks of favor or diplomatic gestures, which is precisely why survivors tend to appear in far better condition than their round counterparts.
The Salzburg mint was among the more prolific in the Holy Roman Empire during this period, supplied directly by the region's own silver workings at Gastein and Rauris.
Johann Jakob Khuen von Belasi served as Archbishop of Salzburg from 1560 to 1586, one of the longer and more politically stable tenures of the Counter-Reformation period in the region. Klippe thalers — struck in square or lozenge form rather than round — were almost never intended for commerce. They functioned as presentation pieces, distributed at court as marks of favor or diplomatic gestures, which is precisely why survivors tend to appear in far better condition than their round counterparts.
The Salzburg mint was among the more prolific in the Holy Roman Empire during this period, supplied directly by the region's own silver workings at Gastein and Rauris.