Sigismund von Schrattenbach ruled as Archbishop of Salzburg from 1753 until his death in 1771, and is better remembered today as the employer — and, eventually, the tolerant protector — of Leopold Mozart and his son Wolfgang. The Salzburg archbishopric maintained its own mint with full coinage rights under the Holy Roman Empire, and multiple-ducat pieces of this type served primarily as presentation and trade coins rather than everyday currency.
The .986 fineness places this among the finest gold struck at Salzburg, consistent with the archbishopric's reputation for careful metal standards in its higher denominations.
Sigismund von Schrattenbach ruled as Archbishop of Salzburg from 1753 until his death in 1771, and is better remembered today as the employer — and, eventually, the tolerant protector — of Leopold Mozart and his son Wolfgang. The Salzburg archbishopric maintained its own mint with full coinage rights under the Holy Roman Empire, and multiple-ducat pieces of this type served primarily as presentation and trade coins rather than everyday currency.
The .986 fineness places this among the finest gold struck at Salzburg, consistent with the archbishopric's reputation for careful metal standards in its higher denominations.