2 Thalers

Basel's double thaler issues of this period were minted under the authority of a city-republic that had jealously guarded its monetary independence since joining the Swiss Confederation in 1501. The specific HMZ 2-77b type spans two decades precisely because output was sporadic — these were presentation-grade pieces struck for diplomatic gifts and civic ceremony rather than commerce, which explains both their survival rates in higher condition and the absence of meaningful circulation wear on most known examples.

The Dav EC III and Dav Lg cross-references reflect how thoroughly this type was catalogued by later scholars trying to untangle Basel's overlapping thaler emissions, several of which share dies across nominal date ranges.