The ''Basel Thaler'' was a
currency
A currency, "in circulation", from la, currens, -entis, literally meaning "running" or "traversing" is a standardization of money in any form, in use or circulation as a medium of exchange, for example banknotes and coins.
A more general def ...
denomination worth 3 ''livres'' or 30 ''batzen'' used by the
Swiss
Swiss may refer to:
* the adjectival form of Switzerland
* Swiss people
Places
* Swiss, Missouri
* Swiss, North Carolina
*Swiss, West Virginia
* Swiss, Wisconsin
Other uses
*Swiss-system tournament, in various games and sports
*Swiss Internation ...
Canton of Basel
Basel was a canton of Switzerland that was in existence between 1501 and 1833, when it was split into the two half-cantons of Basel-City and Basel-Country.
Background
Before the Protestant Reformation, Basel was ruled by prince-bishops (see ...
until 1798. It was used by both the
Canton and the
Bishopric of Basel.
Basel's basic currency unit was the ''livre'' (later ''franc'' or ''frank''), divided into 10 ''
batzen
The batzen is an historical Swiss, south German and Austrian coin. It was first produced in Berne, Switzerland, from 1492 and continued in use there until the mid-19th century.
Name
Bernese chronicler Valerius Anshelm explained the word fr ...
'' or 40 ''
kreuzer
The Kreuzer (), in English usually kreutzer ( ), was a coin and unit of currency in the southern German states prior to the introduction of the German gold mark in 1871/73, and in Austria and Switzerland. After 1760 it was made of copper. In s ...
''. It was worth th the French
silver écu or 6.67 g fine silver.
The French ''écu'' was also equivalent to 4 Franken of the Helvetic Republic, and afterwards to 4
Basel frank The Basel frank ( German ''Franken'', French ''franc'') was the currency of the Swiss canton of Basel between 1798 and 1850. It was worth th the French silver ''écu'' or 6.67 g fine silver.
History
The Frank was the currency of the Helvetian ...
en.
Coins
The first Thaler were issued between 1542 and 1552 by the city of Basel, together with Thaler between 1542 and 1548. In the 17th and 18th centuries, the canton issued , , 1 and 2 Thaler coins, with Thaler only struck between 1764 and 1766. In the late 18th century, the canton issued billon coins for , 1 and 3 Batzen, silver pieces of , , and 1 Thaler, and gold ''
Duplone The duplone was a currency used in various Swiss cantons in the late 1700s and early 1800s. Although there is a wide range of conversions due to the differing sizes and gold contents of different canton's duplones, 1 duplone is generally equal to 16 ...
'' and 1 and 2 ''Gulden''.
The ''Bistum'' (
Bishopric
In church governance, a diocese or bishopric is the ecclesiastical district under the jurisdiction of a bishop.
History
In the later organization of the Roman Empire, the increasingly subdivided provinces were administratively associate ...
) issued silver Thaler for the first time in 1596. Bishop Wilhelm Rinck von Baldenstein (1608–1628) issued Thaler in 1623, Thaler in 1625 and 1 Thaler in 1624 and 1625. Bishop Johann Konrad II (1705–1737) issued Thaler in 1717 and 1 Thaler in 1716. These were the last Thaler-denominated coins issued by the Bishopric of Basel. However, the Bishopric continued to issue billon coins, in denominations of and 1 Batzen, and silver coins for 12 and 24 Kreuzer (3 and 6 Batzen).
References
*
*
External links
{{thaler
Modern obsolete currencies
Currencies of Switzerland
History of Basel
Basel-Stadt
1798 disestablishments