batzen

The batzen is a historical Swiss, south German, and Austrian coin. It was first produced in Bern, Switzerland, from 1492 and remained in use there until the mid-19th century.

Name

Bernese chronicler Valerius Anshelm explained the word through folk etymology, stating that it came from ''Bëtz'' ("bear"), the heraldic animal of the Swiss canton, which was embossed on the reverse of the coin. The word probably derives from the Upper German (particularly Bavarian) ''batzen'' ("stick together") or ''Batzen'' ("lump, thick piece"), as it referred to a ''Dickpfennig'' ("fat pfennig").

History

A double '' Plappart'', soon known as a ''Batzen'', was minted in Bern from 1492. The minting of ''Batzen'' in Salzburg is also attested early, in 1495.

The ''Batzen'' was originally minted in silver, but from the 17th century in billon. The value of the ''Batzen'' varied over time depending on where it was minted. The value of a Bernese ''Batzen'' initially corresponded to four ''Kreuzer''. As the '' Gulden'' was worth 60 '' Kreuzer'', the value of 1 ''Batzen'' (4 ''Kreuzer'') in Bern, Freiburg, and Solothurn also corresponded to one-fifteenth of a ''Gulden''. Later there were also ''Grossi'' ('thick ones', i.e., ''Groschen'') worth 5 ''Batzen''. Other places of the Old Confederation and some southern German states soon followed Bern's example. Zürich minted 16 ''Batzen'' to the ''Gulden'' from 1500 onwards. In 1564, a Thaler was worth 16 Constance ''Batzen''. Around 1600, 1 '' Bocksthaler'' (Schaffhausen ''Thaler'') was worth 17 ''Batzen'' or 68 ''Kreuzer'', so 1 ''Batzen'' = ''Thaler'' = 4 ''Kreuzer''. In the early 18th century, the ''Hohlbatzen'' ('hollow ''Batzen) was valued at five ''Kreuzer'' (1/12 ''Reichsgulden''), while the regular ''Batzen'' was four ''Kreuzer''. Basel and Zürich ''Batzen'' were valued at  ''Gulden'', and the St. Gallen ''Batzen'' at  . In the latter half of the 18th century, values included 1 ''Reichsbatzen'' worth 16 ''Pfennigs'', 1 Zürich ''Batzen'' worth 15 ''Pfennigs'', and 1 Bernese or 1 Chur ''Batzen'' worth 14 ''Pfennigs''.

The ''Batzen'' became a widespread intermediate currency between the numerous large and small silver coins circulating in Europe. Since some South German ''Batzen'' were of varying quality, the Reichstag in 1522 and 1524 legislated against these coins. In southern Germany they were minted until 1536 but were banned by the Imperial Minting Ordinance of 1559. However, in places like Nuremberg, it was still in use as a currency designation in 1564.Doris Wolfangel: ''Dr. Melchior Ayrer (1520–1579).'' Medical dissertation, Würzburg 1957, pp. 19 ff. In Switzerland, on the other hand, the ''Batzen'' remained unchallenged.

During the counterfeiting period known as the Kipper and Wipper period ''inter alia'' (at the mints of Gotha (1621–1623) and Weimar (1619–1622)), Kipper coins worth three and six ''Batzen'' were minted (the ''Dreibätzner'' and ''Sechsbätzner''). The coins were not subject to objection, as they were state coins, not ''Thaler'' coins or divisions thereof, which had to conform to imperial coinage regulations.

Even after the Munich Coinage Treaty of 1837, ''Batzen'' were minted as ''Scheidemünzen'' valued at four ''Kreuzers'' in some member states, for example in the Free City of Frankfurt. The coins were in use until the introduction of the ''Mark'' in 1871. As late as 1873, the increase in the price of beer by the Frankfurt breweries from 4 to 4½ ''Kreuzer'' triggered the Frankfurt beer riot, which began with the demand "I want Batzen beer" (''Mir wolle Batzebier'') and led to serious social unrest.

When the Helvetic Republic introduced a single Swiss currency for the first time in 1798–1803, the ''Batzen'' was also integrated into the system. One franc was worth ten ''Batzen'', and one ''Batzen'' ten centimes. Ten Swiss francs were equivalent to a Louis d'or. After the end of the single currency, coin sovereignty was returned to the cantons, some of which retained the decimal Franc-Batzen-Rappen division (Aargau, city of Basel, Bern, Freiburg, Lucerne, Solothurn, Unterwalden, Uri, Vaud, Valais, Zug). Only in the canton of Neuchâtel was a franc worth 10½ ''Batzen''. The other cantons introduced currencies with a ''Gulden-Schilling'' or Florin-Livre system. The era of the ''Batzen'' ended in 1850 with the introduction of the new Swiss franc as the single Swiss currency. An old franc did not correspond to a new franc. Seven ''Batzen'' could be exchanged for a new franc in 1850. In Swiss colloquial usage, the ''Batzen'' became a term for the 10 ''Rappen'' (10 cent) coin.

References

{{Authority control

Medieval currencies
Coins of the Holy Roman Empire
Modern obsolete currencies
Currencies of Switzerland
Groschen