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4 Ducats
| Issuer | City of Zürich |
|---|---|
| Year | 1720-1728 |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | 4 Ducats |
| Currency | Log in to see details |
| Composition | Log in to see details |
| Weight | Log in to see details |
| Diameter | Log in to see details |
| Thickness | Log in to see details |
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| Obverse description | The Zürich lion rampant to left occupies the central field, grasping an ornate oval heraldic shield bearing the city arms in its left forepaw and brandishing an upraised sword in its right. The boldly rendered figure is executed in high relief in the baroque manner characteristic of early eighteenth-century Swiss civic coinage. A circular Latin legend surrounds the device, with the denomination numeral '4' incorporated into the inscription. The composition reflects the strong civic pride of the Republic of Zürich during this period. |
|---|---|
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| Obverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Reverse description | Log in to see details |
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| Edge | Reeded |
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| Additional information |
Zürich's multi-ducat gold pieces of this period were prestige emissions rather than everyday trade coins — struck in limited runs for presentation gifts, diplomatic exchange, and the personal wealth storage of the city's patrician merchant class. The Swiss city-state maintained its own gold coinage partly as a matter of civic pride and partly because the ducat's .986 fineness made it directly competitive in the international bullion trade, where reputation for purity mattered as much as face value.
The eight-year span across this issue reflects periodic re-striking from the same dies rather than continuous production — a common practice among Swiss cantonal mints that complicates precise dating of individual pieces.