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4 Ducats Klippe
| Issuer | Free Imperial City of Nuremberg (German States) |
|---|---|
| Year | 1703 |
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| Currency | Reichsguldiner (1620-1753) |
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| Obverse description | Three ornately decorated heraldic shields arranged in a trefoil grouping, united by flowing decorative ribbons. The central shield bears the imperial eagle of Nuremberg, the lower-left shield displays a crowned lion passant, and the lower-right shield shows a half-eagle device, all rendered in high relief in the Baroque style. The mint-master's initials GFN appear in the field below the central shield. The circular legend MONETA AVREA REIP NORIMB. runs around the periphery within a beaded inner border, with the entire design struck on a square klippe flan featuring a milled edge on all four sides. |
|---|---|
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| Reverse script | Latin |
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| Additional information |
Nuremberg's klippe issues were not ceremonial accidents — the city's mint produced square-format gold multiples deliberately, typically for presentation at Imperial diets or as diplomatic gifts to Habsburg officials whose favor the city needed to maintain. By 1703, Nuremberg was navigating the political turbulence of the War of the Spanish Succession, and lavish presentation pieces served a practical function in sustaining the city's standing as a free imperial city against encroaching territorial pressures.
Forrer and Kellner both document this type as genuinely rare in survivor populations. The square flan demands exceptional die alignment to strike evenly at the corners, and most examples show some weakness there.