The monetary union between Uri and Nidwalden — two of the original Forest Cantons — produced this joint issue during a period when Swiss cantons frequently struck bilateral coinage to ease commerce across their shared Alpine passes. The arrangement was practical rather than political: controlling the Gotthard route meant managing a constant flow of merchants, pilgrims, and mercenary troops, all of whom needed reliable small silver.
The HMZ 1#2-970b designation places this among the rarer documented varieties of the type.
The monetary union between Uri and Nidwalden — two of the original Forest Cantons — produced this joint issue during a period when Swiss cantons frequently struck bilateral coinage to ease commerce across their shared Alpine passes. The arrangement was practical rather than political: controlling the Gotthard route meant managing a constant flow of merchants, pilgrims, and mercenary troops, all of whom needed reliable small silver.
The HMZ 1#2-970b designation places this among the rarer documented varieties of the type.