Ducat

Zürich's gold ducats of this period were struck to the longstanding imperial ducat standard that had governed much of European trade coinage since the late medieval period, allowing them to circulate far beyond the Swiss Confederation's borders without discount. The city jealously maintained fineness at or near .986 — a reputation hard won and carefully defended against the debasement practices common among smaller issuing authorities.

The decade-plus date range reflects sequential die use rather than a single continuous issue, a common Canton practice where obverse or reverse dies were retired only upon failure.