Solothurn (1637) 1/2 kreuzer
This specimen was lot 5462 in Sincona Auction 102 (Zürich, October 2025), where it sold for 300 CHF (about US$452 including buyers' fees). The catalog description[1] noted,
"SCHWEIZ. Solothurn. Stadt und Kanton. Vierer o. J. (um 1637), Solothurn. Variante mit Adler nach links über Standeswappen. Selten. Minimaler Randausbruch. Gutes schön. (Switzerland, canton of Solothurn, undated vierer or half kreuzer, circa 1637, Solothurn mint, variety with the eagle facing left above the arms. Rare, Edge minimally chipped, Good Fine.)"
The SCWC mentions this half kreuzer for 1622-24 and undated. Numista attributes this undated issue to 1637, as do the auctioneers, and another version without the eagle on the arms to 1640. Deleting the eagle was probably the canton's way of declaring independence from the Empire, which status was confirmed in the Peace of Westphalia in 1648.
Recorded mintage: unknown.
Specification: 0.86 g, billon, 15 mm diameter, this specimen 0.57 g.
Catalog reference: KM 5, Simmen-HMZ (SMK VII) 58b. D.T. 1287a, HMZ 2-838a.
- 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, Jurg, SINCONA Auction 102: The Konrad Bürki Collection - Part 4 (Swiss Cantonal Coins), Zurich: SINCONA AG, 2025.
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