Schwyz was one of the last Swiss cantons to surrender its minting rights, continuing to issue cantonal coinage well into the 1840s even as political pressure mounted for a unified federal currency. The 1848 federal constitution finally ended cantonal monetary autonomy, but issues like this one were still circulating — and being struck — right up to that transition.
Billon was the practical choice for low-denomination cantonal issues: silver content low enough to keep production economical, high enough to resist the most aggressive counterfeiting of the period.
Schwyz was one of the last Swiss cantons to surrender its minting rights, continuing to issue cantonal coinage well into the 1840s even as political pressure mounted for a unified federal currency. The 1848 federal constitution finally ended cantonal monetary autonomy, but issues like this one were still circulating — and being struck — right up to that transition.
Billon was the practical choice for low-denomination cantonal issues: silver content low enough to keep production economical, high enough to resist the most aggressive counterfeiting of the period.