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Ducat
| Issuer | City of Bern |
|---|---|
| Year | 1794 |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | Log in to see details |
| Currency | Thaler (1646-1798) |
| Composition | Log in to see details |
| Weight | Log in to see details |
| Diameter | Log in to see details |
| Thickness | Log in to see details |
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| Obverse description | Central field features the crowned arms of Bern — a shield bearing a diagonal band with a walking bear in the lower canton — flanked at the base by two crossed olive branches. The crowned shield is rendered in fine relief with detailed hatching. The circular legend RESPVBLICA BERNENSIS runs along the periphery, interrupted by the shield, reading from lower left to lower right. The coin's border displays a uniform toothed or beaded rim. |
|---|---|
| Obverse script | Log in to see details |
| Obverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Reverse description | Log in to see details |
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| Reverse lettering | BENEDICTVS SIT IEHOVA DEVS 1 DVCAT 1794 |
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| Additional information |
Bern struck ducats consistently through the eighteenth century as a trade and diplomatic currency, the gold content held deliberately close to Venetian and Dutch standards to ensure acceptance across European markets. By 1794, the city-state was one of the wealthiest polities in Europe relative to its size, its finances built on mercenary contracts and land revenues — a position that would collapse entirely five years later when French forces occupied the city and seized the treasury in February 1798.
The HMZ suffix 'h' indicates a specific die variety within the 1794 emission, distinguished in Hürlimann-Maier-Zimmermann by minor legend or privy mark differences from earlier strikes of the same type.