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15 Ducats
| Issuer | Republic of Bern |
|---|---|
| Year | 1681 |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| Shape | Round |
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| Obverse description | Log in to see details |
|---|---|
| Obverse script | Latin |
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| Reverse description | A detailed panoramic cityscape of Bern occupies the central field, with the Münster (cathedral) prominently featured at centre and the River Aare rendered in the foreground. Above the cityscape, the oval civic arms of Bern appear amid stylised clouds, lending a celestial character to the composition. The reverse legend 'BERNA' appears in the field, identifying the issuing city. |
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| Additional information |
Bern's multi-ducat gold pieces of the late seventeenth century were not circulating currency in any practical sense — they functioned as presentation pieces, distributed by the city council as diplomatic gifts and honoraria to foreign dignitaries and allied powers. The 1681 date places this issue during a period when the Swiss Confederation's internal tensions over French subsidy treaties were acute, and Bern's patrician oligarchy used lavish gold gifts partly to project fiscal authority it was increasingly careful to guard.
At 52 grams of near-pure gold, surviving examples almost never show circulation wear.