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9 Ducats 'Gold Schnabeltaler'
| Issuer | City of Zürich |
|---|---|
| Year | 1559 |
| Type | Standard circulation coin |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
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|---|---|
| Obverse script | Latin |
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| Mint | Zürich Mint, Zürich |
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| Additional information |
The Schnabeltaler — "beak thaler" — takes its name from the distinctive pointed shape produced when a large gold flan was struck with dies sized for a smaller coin, leaving the edges curling upward like a beak. Zürich produced these multi-ducat presentation pieces not for circulation but as diplomatic gifts and ceremonial awards, a practice common among Swiss city-states seeking to project wealth and authority without the infrastructure of a royal mint.
The 1559 date places this piece during a period of acute religious and political tension within the Confederation following Zwingli's reforms. Few survive outside major institutional collections.