SWITZERLAND. Neuenburg/Neuchâtel. Halbbatzen 1808 (Billon, 21 mm, 1.31 g, 6 h). ALEXANDRE PR. - DUC DE NEUCHAT Crowned coat of arms. Rev. PRINCIPAUTE - DE NEUCHATEL / 1808 1/2 / BATZ within laurel and oak wreath; two countermarks: Confederation Cross. Friedrich (Kontermarkenwesen) -. Froidevaux V453 (for host coin). HMZ 2-723d (for host coin). Zimmermann -. Apparently unpublished with these countermarks, and of great numismatic interest. Beautifully toned. Tiny marks a minor die fault on the obverse and slightly wavy, otherwise, host coin fine, countermark good very fine.



Even though countermarks are known on coins from Neuchâtel - some as early as the 17th century (Froidevaux V96) - the meaning of the two marks on this piece remains uncertain. The cross, here appearing twice within a Swiss shield with its distinctive three-pointed outline, became the official emblem of the Swiss Confederation in 1815. This particular shield form is a familiar feature on a number of Swiss countermarked coins (Kurt Zimmermann: Die Gegenstempel im schweizerischen Münzwesen, Hilterfingen 1971, p. 53, no. XIV, XXIV).

The coin’s old, smooth and even toning - covering both the surface and the countermarks - suggests that the countermarking took place not long after the coin was struck. Most likely, it dates to the turbulent monetary years just after 1810, when the confusion of circulating currencies for example led to the appearance of Bernese and Vaudois countermarks on the many French Écus entering Switzerland (see Lots 3121-3126).