Pistole

Geneva's pistole coinage was never a simple domestic convenience — the city-republic's monetary policy was perpetually entangled with French economic pressure, and gold emissions of this period reflect the magistrates' efforts to maintain an independent commercial currency acceptable to Geneva's extensive network of Protestant banking houses. The pistole denomination itself borrowed its name and approximate weight standard from the Spanish gold unit, a deliberate choice signaling international credibility rather than parochial utility.

The three HMZ varieties distinguished within this date range differ by minor die details and are rarely separated in trade.