Leopold V ruled Upper Alsace as Archduke from 1619 until his death in 1632, a period bracketed by the opening catastrophe of the Thirty Years' War. The conflict disrupted silver supply chains across the Habsburg lands, making sustained multi-thaler production genuinely difficult. That this issue spans four years of output rather than a single campaign likely reflects interrupted die use rather than continuous minting.
The Davenport EC II reference places it firmly within the emergency-adjacent coinage of the period — large silver at this weight was increasingly hoarded as the war ground on.
Leopold V ruled Upper Alsace as Archduke from 1619 until his death in 1632, a period bracketed by the opening catastrophe of the Thirty Years' War. The conflict disrupted silver supply chains across the Habsburg lands, making sustained multi-thaler production genuinely difficult. That this issue spans four years of output rather than a single campaign likely reflects interrupted die use rather than continuous minting.
The Davenport EC II reference places it firmly within the emergency-adjacent coinage of the period — large silver at this weight was increasingly hoarded as the war ground on.