3 Klippe Ducats `Madonna` - Paris von Lodron

Paris von Lodron ruled Salzburg through the devastation of the Thirty Years' War, and his deliberate neutrality — buying off both Imperial and Swedish armies at considerable cost — kept the archbishopric intact while surrounding territories burned. These klippe ducats were prestige strikes, not circulation pieces. The square format was a deliberate assertion of ecclesiastical dignity, the sort of thing presented to visiting dignitaries or retained as cabinet pieces by the Salzburg court itself.

Zöttl 1301 and 1303 represent distinct die pairings within the type; collectors should verify which specific issue is in hand. Lodron's long tenure — nearly four decades — means the type spans considerable variation in die quality and execution.