Thaler Leodegar facing right, 15 coats of arms

Lucerne struck its first thalers in the opening decades of the sixteenth century as the large-denomination silver coin format spread rapidly through the Swiss Confederation following the success of Hall's Guldengroschen. The 1518 date places this piece among the earliest documented issues, catalogued as Wielandt's first entry in the Lucerne series — a position that reflects genuine chronological priority, not just cataloguing convention.

The fifteen coats of arms identify the allied lordships and subject territories acknowledging Lucerne's authority at the time of striking. That number shifted across subsequent issues as political relationships changed, making the arms count a precise dating tool within the type.