An overdue report on my January world coin activities.

I'm not sure if it's the same with US coins but I think the January Heritage, Stack's Bowers, Triton and Goldberg auctions have the best selection of rare and premium quality world coins of the year. Unlike last year, when I was completely shut out of January's world coin auctions, I scored a few goals this time around. One coin was literally two goals in one. I wanted to add a Swiss Thaler to my collection of world crowns and I've also been on the hunt for a city view type coin. My new coin is a Basel Thaler Dav-1746, KM# 126, undated but circa 1676 according to Heritage or 1737 according to Numismaster, with a lovely city-view reverse.

Basel joined the Swiss Confederacy as its eleventh canton in 1501, shortly after the conclusion of the Swabian War in which the Swiss armies outfought the armies of the House of Habsburg and the Swabian League. It remained a Prince-Bishopric in the Holy Roman Empire until joining the Swiss Reformation in 1528. The Treaty of Westphalia of 1648 offically separated the Swiss Confederacy from the Holy Roman Empire. Basel was one of the first areas to be conquered by Napoleon in 1793 leading to the collapse of the Swiss Confederacy and reorganization into the short-lived Helvetic Republic of 1798-1803. Today, Basel is a popular destination for cruises on the Rhine river.

The obverse of this nicely toned coin features the bishop's crosier, or staff of office, as enshrined on the Basel coat of arms, within an adorned circle. The reverse is the city view, showing the city and the bridge over the Rhine with lesser Basel in the foreground, founded to guard the bridgehead. This variety is unique in the complete lack of lettering on the city view side as well as absence of Basel's heraldic animal, the winged worm known as the basilisk, unless you consider the curvilinear ornamentation surrounding the coat of arms as a very abstract representation of the creature.

~jack

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