Klippe issues from Zürich were struck as presentation or trial pieces demonstrating the mint's ability to produce coins of precise weight — the square form serving as proof that no metal had been clipped from the edges. This example, catalogued under Winter Kl#23b, dates to a period when the city's mint was operating under close scrutiny from the civic authorities following disputes over fineness standards in the billon coinage circulating through the canton.
Klippe issues from Zürich were struck as presentation or trial pieces demonstrating the mint's ability to produce coins of precise weight — the square form serving as proof that no metal had been clipped from the edges. This example, catalogued under Winter Kl#23b, dates to a period when the city's mint was operating under close scrutiny from the civic authorities following disputes over fineness standards in the billon coinage circulating through the canton.