5 Ducats - Placidus von Zurlauben lead trial

Trial pieces in lead were produced by engravers and die-cutters to check die alignment, relief depth, and overall composition before committing to a gold strike — the metal itself was irrelevant, the impression everything. Placidus von Zurlauben served as Abbot of Muri from 1714 until his death in 1723, and coinages under his authority are among the last struck by the abbey before Swiss ecclesiastical minting rights became increasingly difficult to exercise.

Surviving lead trials from this series are essentially workshop documents — never intended for circulation, rarely preserved with care.