Sitten (1522-29) plappart
This specimen was lot 4572 in Sincona sale 95 (Zürich, October 2024), where it sold for 2,000 CHF (about US$2,772 including buyer's fees). The catalog description[1] noted,
"SCHWEIZ Sitten, Bistum, Philipp de Platea, 1522-1529. Plappart o. J., Sitten. Selten. Fast sehr schön. Exemplar der Slg. Zuberbühler, Auktion SINCONA 16, Zürich, Oktober 2013, Los 6184. (Switzerland, bishopric of Sitten (Sion), Philipp de Platea, 1522-29, undated plappart, Sitten mint. Rare, About Very Fine.)"
The bishopric of Sitten (Sion in French) encompassed most of what is now the canton of Valais. The bishops involved themselves in the petty feuds and struggles of the day, going so far as to participate in the battle of Marignano (1515). They successfully resisted the Reformation but were forced to cede their secular power in 1630. Coinage continued into the eighteenth century. The plappart, or blafard in French, was originally a foreign coin but adopted in Switerland at the end of the 14th century. It was superseded by the batzen at the beginning of the 16th century. It was worth 1/28 thaler.
Record mintage: unknown.
Specification: 2.04 g, silver, 25 mm diameter, this specimen 2.05 g.
Catalog reference: Palézieux 90/92, HMZ 2-1028a.
- Richter, Jürg, and Ruedi Kunzmann, Neuer HMZ-Katalog, Band 2: Die Münzen der Schweiz und Liechtensteins 15//16. Jahrhundert bis Gegenwart, Regenstauf, Germany: H. Gietl Verlag GmbH, 2006.
- [1]Richter, Jürg, SINCONA Auction 95: The Konrad Bürki Collection - Part 2 (Swiss Cantonal Coins), Zürich: SINCONA AG, 2024.
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