Ducat Off-Metal Strike

Rheinau was a Benedictine abbey on a Rhine peninsula whose right to strike coinage was perpetually contested — the abbey held imperial minting privileges but exercised them irregularly, often producing presentation pieces rather than coins intended for circulation. This 1710 ducat struck in silver rather than gold is precisely that kind of object: a Prägung produced in an alternative metal, almost certainly for presentation or archival purposes, not trade.

The HMZ 1#2-1182a reference confirms the off-metal classification. Surviving examples are rare enough that auction appearances generate serious scholarly attention.