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2 Ducats
| Issuer | City of Zürich |
|---|---|
| Year | 1624 |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | 2 Ducats |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
| Weight | Log in to see details |
| Diameter | Log in to see details |
| Thickness | Log in to see details |
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| Obverse description | The rampant lion of Zürich stands in the central field facing right, supporting with its forepaws the city's heraldic shield bearing the characteristic diagonal bipartite design with a fleur-de-lis ornament at base. The lion is crowned and rendered in high relief with detailed mane and musculature. A beaded inner circle frames the central device, and the circumferential Latin legend reads MONETA NOVA THVRICENSIS, separated by rosette stops. |
|---|---|
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| Reverse script | Latin |
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| Additional information |
Zürich's ducat coinage of the early seventeenth century was issued under the authority of the city council at a moment when the Swiss Confederation's neutrality was being tested by the opening phases of the Thirty Years' War. The city mint struck gold primarily for mercantile settlement and cross-border trade, not domestic retail circulation — which explains why survivors tend to appear in better condition than their age suggests.
The .986 fineness held to a standard slightly above the Venetian ducat, a deliberate policy choice that gave Zürich's gold a competitive edge in northern Italian trade circuits.