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Batzen
| Issuer | City of Solothurn |
|---|---|
| Year | 1622-1642 |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| Technique | Hammered |
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| Obverse description | Crowned and ornamented shield of Solothurn arms occupying the central field, divided horizontally with the upper half bearing the cantonal device and the lower half plain, the whole surmounted by an elaborate foliate crown. The shield is flanked by the mint mark initials S and O in the field. A circular beaded inner border separates the central device from the surrounding Latin legend. |
|---|---|
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| Obverse lettering | · MONETA · SALODORENSIS S 0 (Translation: Money of Solothurn) |
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| Additional information |
Solothurn's Batzen issues of this period fall squarely within the monetary chaos of the Thirty Years' War, when Swiss city-states found themselves flooded with debased foreign coinage and responded by producing their own billon issues of equally questionable fineness. The canton was staunchly Catholic throughout the conflict and served as the seat of the French ambassador to the Swiss Confederation — a diplomatic role that brought both political pressure and economic exposure to French monetary policy.
The twenty-year production window reflected repeated diet ordinances from the Swiss Confederation attempting, with limited success, to standardize billon coinage across cantons.