Batzen

Basel's billon batzen coinage of the early eighteenth century reflects the city's persistent struggle to maintain a workable small-change supply in the face of chronic debasement across the Swiss Confederation. The batzen as a denomination had been a cornerstone of Swiss monetary reckoning since the late fifteenth century, but by the 1720s its silver content varied so dramatically between issuing authorities that merchants routinely refused foreign pieces at face value.

HMZ 2#105a places this among a tightly documented series from the Basel city mint, which operated with considerable autonomy as a Free Imperial City.