DOPPELVIERER: COIN OF BASEL

Doppelvierer, 15th century: City of Basel (Switzerland)

Doppelvierer, 15th century: City of Basel (Switzerland)

A variant of the Basel 2 vierer coin with the entire legend in Gothic style. There are also some later variants with a combined legend (Roman and Gothic script) and fully standard Latin lettering.

MON ETA BAS ILIE: abbreviation of the Latin "Moneta Basiliensis" ("coin of Basel").

A cross traditional for medieval European numismatics, dividing the field of the coin into 4 quadrants/segments.

GLORIA IN EXCELSIS D: abbreviation of the Latin "Gloria In Excelsis Deo" ("Glory to God in the highest" — Christian hymn known also as the Greater Doxology and the Angelic Hymn / Hymn of the Angels).

In fact, all the numismatic catalogs I know give this variant of writing the legend of this coin "GLORIA IN EXCELSI D" (exactly "EXCELSI" instead of "EXCELSIS" as I have). Why I can't find my variant, what explanation is there — I don't know. I would be grateful for additional information.

Coat of arms of Basel (bishop's staff on a shield) in quatrefoil.

  • Silver: 19 mm - 1.3 g
  • Reference price: 47$
COIN DOPPELVIERER — WHERE & WHEN (coins catalog: by names & emitents)
  1. SWISS CANTONS (16th-17th centuries; City of Basel, City of Laufenburg...): doppelvierer = 8 kreuzer = 2 vierer = 1/60 dicken
  2. AUSTRIAN STATES (16th century; Landgraviate of Upper Alsace...): doppelvierer = 8 kreuzer = 2 vierer
  3. GERMAN STATES (16th century; City of Freiburg...): doppelvierer = 8 kreuzer = 2 vierer
  4. FRENCH REGIONAL ISSUES (15th-17th centuries; Free imperial City of Colmar, City of Thann...): doppelvierer = 8 denier = 2 vierer
Doppelvierer obverse
Doppelvierer reverse
DOPPELVIERER as coin name.
Doppelvierer or double vierer — an old German silver coin (or rather, it was characteristic of German-speaking lands).
The most common are the varieties of the 16th century Germany and the surrounding lands of modern Switzerland, Austria, France (possessions of the Holy Roman Empire).

Doppelvierer is much rarer than vierer.
Vierer was 4 smaller monetary units — kreuzer, denier... which is reflected in the name (in German "four" — vier, "quarter, equal to four" — vierer). In turn, doppelvierer was equal to 8 pfennig or kreuzer (also was 1/60 Swiss dicken), because doppel — "double" from German.
The Hungarian filler coin got its name from its equality to 4 local kreuzer, which in everyday life were called vierer by analogy with the German coin of the same value.