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40 Kreuzer
| Issuer | Republic of Obwalden (Unterwalden) |
|---|---|
| Year | 1743 |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | 40 Kreuzer = 1⁄3 Thaler (⅓) |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| Diameter | Log in to see details |
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| Engraver(s) | Log in to see details |
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| Obverse description | Full-length figure of Blessed Nicholas of Flüe (Niklaus von Flüe), the patron saint of Switzerland, depicted kneeling in prayer upon rocky ground with hands raised in supplication. The saint is shown in pilgrim's habit, a rosary and double-barred cross visible before him, with rays of divine light emanating from above. The scene is rendered in detailed Baroque relief within a plain inner border. The encircling Latin legend reads B: NICALAUS DE FLÜE HELV:CAT:PAT:, identifying the blessed hermit as patron of the Helvetic Catholic fatherland, with the engraver's initials I·H· appearing at the base of the field. |
|---|---|
| Obverse script | Log in to see details |
| Obverse lettering | B: NICALAUS DE FLÜE HELV:CAT:PAT: ·I·H· |
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| Additional information |
Obwalden and Nidwalden, the two half-cantons of Unterwalden, maintained separate coinage rights despite their geographic and political intimacy — a stubbornness typical of Swiss cantonal autonomy in the eighteenth century. Obwalden's silver issues of this period were struck in small quantities for a rural, largely agricultural community with limited commercial need for higher denominations, which explains why survivors in any condition are genuinely scarce.
The 40 Kreuzer denomination was an awkward value, neither a standard trade piece nor a convenient divisor, and saw limited adoption in regional commerce.