Fribourg Batzen

The Fribourg Batzen's most striking trait is its role in standardizing trade across Switzerland's fractious cantons, with its copper blanks often sourced from recycled foreign coins to cut costs.

These pieces, struck in Fribourg from 1600 to 1798, featured a simple design—typically the city's rampant lion on one side and a cross on the other. That consistency helped them circulate beyond local borders, even in times of war. Mintage figures remain murky; official records from the era were likely destroyed in later conflicts.

What I can say for sure is that the Batzen's copper composition made it prone to wear, turning many into smoothed relics by the 18th century. As for myths about hidden treasures, I've debunked my share over the years.

Collectors sometimes quip that the Batzen was the Swiss equivalent of pocket change, but that's as poetic as it gets.