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Groschen Grosso Ambrosino
| Issuer | Uri, Schwyz and Unterwalden, Monetary Union of |
|---|---|
| Year | 1503-1548 |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | 1 Groschen = 1 Grosso Ambrosino = 5 Soldi = 1⁄32 Guldiner |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| Diameter | Log in to see details |
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| Obverse description | Log in to see details |
|---|---|
| Obverse script | Latin |
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| Reverse description | Frontal bust of Saint Martin, nimbate and mitred, depicted as a bishop in full liturgical vestments, his arms raised in an orans-like posture and holding a crosier in his left hand. The figure is rendered in the late-medieval Gothic style typical of Swiss Confederation coinage of the early sixteenth century. The bust is centrally placed within a beaded inner circle, with the circumferential legend identifying the saint as bishop. |
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| Additional information |
The Monetary Union of Uri, Schwyz, and Unterwalden — the three forest cantons at the core of the Swiss Confederacy — struck this groschen in imitation of the Milanese grosso ambrosino, a deliberate borrowing from Lombard monetary tradition to facilitate trade across the Alpine passes the cantons effectively controlled. The St. Gotthard route made these communities significant intermediaries between northern Europe and Italy, and their coinage reflected that economic position directly.
The type ran for nearly half a century under a joint monetary agreement, an unusually long span for such a small issuing authority.