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12 Kreutzers
| Issuer | City of Fribourg |
|---|---|
| Year | 1635 |
| Type | Standard circulation coin |
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| Obverse description | Crowned double-headed imperial eagle displayed within a beaded inner circle, the denomination numeral '12' inscribed on the eagle's breast shield. The arms of Fribourg appear below, incorporated into the surrounding Latin legend. The design is characteristic of early seventeenth-century Swiss cantonal coinage, combining imperial symbolism with civic heraldry. |
|---|---|
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| Reverse description | Three-quarter frontal bust of Saint Nicholas of Myra, vested in episcopal robes and wearing a mitre, contained within a beaded inner circle. The saint holds a crozier in his left hand, with his vestments rendered in fine engraved detail typical of hammered coinage of this period. The circular Latin legend reading SANCTVS NICOLAVS surrounds the central device, with the date 1635 prominently displayed in the exergue below the inner circle. |
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| Additional information |
Fribourg struck this issue during one of the most disruptive decades the Swiss Confederation had seen since the Burgundian Wars — the Thirty Years' War was reshaping trade routes, disrupting silver supplies from the German mining regions, and forcing cantonal authorities to mint locally rather than rely on imperial coinage that was increasingly debased or simply absent from circulation. The 12 Kreutzer denomination was a practical response to real monetary gaps, not ceremonial production.
The HMZ 1#2-267d reference places this among a tightly documented run of Fribourg municipal issues, with the Divo/Tobiassen catalogue confirming the type's relatively narrow date range.