9 Deniers / 3 Quarts

Geneva's civic coinage of this period was produced under the authority of the city's own magistrates, independent of both the Bishop of Geneva — whose temporal power had been expelled in 1526 — and the Duchy of Savoy, which continued to press territorial claims against the city throughout the sixteenth century. The 9 deniers denomination served the small-transaction economy of a city that was simultaneously absorbing thousands of Protestant refugees from France, dramatically expanding its population and its commercial activity.

Billon coinage of this type circulated hard and was frequently debased by competing municipal issues from neighboring territories.