10 Ducats 'Gold Schanzentaler'

The 'Schanzentaler' designation refers directly to the city's fortification works — these large gold multiples were struck partly to commemorate and fund Zürich's ambitious program of bastioned earthworks constructed during the decades of renewed anxiety following the Thirty Years' War. The city mint produced them across a surprisingly long window for a commemorative type, suggesting ongoing ceremonial demand rather than a single presentation occasion.

Surviving examples in any condition are genuinely rare; the Hürlimann census reflects a type that was saved rather than spent, almost certainly distributed as diplomatic gifts or council presentations. The AU designation in HMZ 2#1164a signals the finest known population grade.