2 Thaler - Ferdinand II Klippe

The klippe format — struck square rather than round — was used here almost certainly for presentation purposes, not circulation. Ferdinand II was Duke of Styria from 1596 and had not yet become Holy Roman Emperor; this piece predates his imperial ambitions by two decades, issued during a period when he was already aggressively driving the Counter-Reformation through his hereditary lands, expelling Protestant preachers and closing Lutheran schools throughout Styria in the years immediately surrounding this date.

At over 56 grams, this is a double thaler equivalent in silver content, a format that demanded careful die alignment and a powerful screw press. Davenport EC I 8132 confirms the attribution within the early klippe series.