40 Batzen

The 40 Batzen denomination was a direct product of Napoleonic monetary rationalization — the Helvetic Republic and its successor cantons were pressured toward decimal-adjacent systems that would mesh with French imperial coinage. Zürich struck this heavy silver piece in 1813, the same year Napoleon's continental grip was visibly fracturing after the Russian catastrophe. Whether the canton anticipated restored sovereignty or was simply filling a monetary gap is difficult to say, but issues of this type ceased shortly after.

The 40 Batzen equates to one Neutaler, a unit Zürich had used intermittently since the late eighteenth century.