Sitten 1623 kreuzer
This specimen was lot 4587 in Sincona sale 95 (Zürich, October 2024), where it sold for 550 CHF (about US$762 including buyer's fees). The catalog description[1] noted,
"SCHWEIZ Sitten, Bistum, Hildebrand Jost, 1613-1638. Kreuzer 1623, Sitten. Selten. Sehr schön. (Switzerland, bishopric of Sitten (Sion), Hildebrand Jost, 1613-1638, kreuzer of 1623, Sitten mint. Rare, 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. This type was struck 1623-25 and was 1/72 of a thaler.
Record mintage: unknown.
Specification: 1.34 g, billon, 18 mm diameter, this specimen 1.33 g.
Catalog reference: KM 6, Palézieux 190, D.T. 1620a, HMZ 2-1055a.
- Cuhaj, George S., and Thomas Michael, Standard Catalog of World Coins, 1601-1700, 6th ed., Iola, WI: Krause Publications, 2014.
- 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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