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2 Thalers - Jakob Christoph Blarer von Wartensee
| Issuer | Bishopric of Basel |
|---|---|
| Year | 1596 |
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| Reference(s) | HMZ 2#115, Divo/Tob17#1288 |
| Obverse description | Central quartered coat of arms of Prince-Bishop Jakob Christoph Blarer von Wartensee, surmounted by a pontifical mitre. A crosier extends diagonally behind the shield to the left, and the bishop's stole is draped symmetrically behind. The heraldic composition is rendered in a late Renaissance style typical of ecclesiastical coinage of the period. The circumferential Latin legend is punctuated by crosses and reads the bishop's name and title with the date split across the lower field. |
|---|---|
| Obverse script | Latin |
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| Additional information |
Jakob Christoph Blarer von Wartensee served as Prince-Bishop of Basel from 1575 until his death in 1608, presiding over a diocese whose political situation had grown increasingly precarious following the Reformation — the city of Basel itself had turned Protestant in 1529, forcing the episcopal seat to relocate to Porrentruy. This double thaler was struck during the height of the Counter-Reformation, a period in which Blarer aggressively pursued Catholic renewal throughout his remaining territories, including the founding of a Jesuit college at Porrentruy in 1591.
Large-denomination silver pieces of this type were minted in very small numbers and rarely entered ordinary commerce; they functioned primarily as presentation gifts and diplomatic currency among the imperial nobility.