The "Spägurli" nickname — Swiss dialect for a small, awkward or crooked thing — almost certainly refers to the irregular clipping habits of Lucerne's mint workers in this period, when klippe production invited inconsistency in the shearing of planchets. Lucerne's mint rights in the sixteenth century were frequently contested, and the city leaned heavily on small silver multiples to assert local monetary presence against encroaching cantonal and imperial pressures.
The Wielandt and Winter references both note significant die variation within this type, with 54c specifically distinguished by its reverse die alignment.
The "Spägurli" nickname — Swiss dialect for a small, awkward or crooked thing — almost certainly refers to the irregular clipping habits of Lucerne's mint workers in this period, when klippe production invited inconsistency in the shearing of planchets. Lucerne's mint rights in the sixteenth century were frequently contested, and the city leaned heavily on small silver multiples to assert local monetary presence against encroaching cantonal and imperial pressures.
The Wielandt and Winter references both note significant die variation within this type, with 54c specifically distinguished by its reverse die alignment.