5 Batzen

The Helvetic Republic was a French-imposed sister republic that abolished the old cantonal monetary patchwork overnight — a radical centralization that made issues like this 5 Batzen among the first truly national Swiss coinage. The experiment was deeply unpopular, and the republic itself collapsed in 1803 when Napoleon, tired of the instability, simply replaced it with the Act of Mediation.

Production spanned four years and at least four die varieties, reflected in the Hofer numbering. The .868 fineness was a deliberate compromise, slightly below the standards of several predecessor cantonal issues.