Logo Title
obverse
reverse
V.L. Nummus
Context
Year: 1805
Currency:
Demonetized: Yes
Material
Diameter: 40 mm
Weight: 28 g
Silver weight: 23.32 g
Shape: Round
Composition: 83.3% Silver
Magnetic: No
Technique: Milled
References
KM: #Click to copy to clipboard497
Numista: #85210
Value
Bullion value: $64.98

Obverse

Description:
Right-facing portrait of Ferdinand of Habsburg (Ferdinand III, Grand Duke of Tuscany) with surrounding legend.
Inscription:
FERD D G H ET B REG PR A A S R I PR EL SALISB
Translation:
FERDINANDUS DEI GRATIA HUNGARIAE ET BOHEMIAE REX PRINCEPS AUSTRIAE ARCHIDUX SALISBURGENSIS
Script: Latin
Language: Latin

Reverse

Description:
Crowned coat of arms within a wreath, encircled by legend (starting at 1 o'clock).
Inscription:
PRINC AICHST PASSAV ET BERCHTOLSGAD date
Script: Latin

Edge

Mintings

YearMint MarkMintageQualityCollection
1805

Historical background

In 1805, the Bishopric of Salzburg found itself in a precarious monetary situation, caught between collapsing old structures and the imposition of a new political order. For centuries, Salzburg had minted its own distinctive coinage, the Salzburg Gulden, divided into 60 Kreuzer. However, the financial demands of the Napoleonic Wars had strained its resources. Furthermore, the bishopric was deeply embedded in the complex economic sphere of the Holy Roman Empire, where a multitude of regional currencies circulated, leading to chronic issues of exchange rate instability and debasement.

The currency situation was abruptly resolved by political conquest. In the aftermath of the War of the Third Coalition and the decisive French victory at Austerlitz, the Peace of Pressburg (December 26, 1805) dictated the total dissolution of the centuries-old Prince-Archbishopric. Salzburg was annexed by the Austrian Empire, and by 1806, its sovereign monetary rights were extinguished. The legal tender became the Austrian Conventionsthaler and Gulden, systematically replacing local coinage.

Therefore, the year 1805 represents a final, transitional moment. While Salzburg's own coins were still in circulation, their future was already sealed by the geopolitical upheaval. The currency situation shifted from one of semi-autonomous struggle within the Empire to one of forced integration into the Austrian monetary system, marking the definitive end of Salzburg's numismatic history as an independent ecclesiastical state.

Series: 1805 Bishopric of Salzburg circulation coins

2 Pfennigs obverse
2 Pfennigs reverse
2 Pfennigs
1805-1806
3 Kreuzer obverse
3 Kreuzer reverse
3 Kreuzer
1805
6 Kreuzers obverse
6 Kreuzers reverse
6 Kreuzers
1805-1806
20 Kreuzers obverse
20 Kreuzers reverse
20 Kreuzers
1805-1806
1 Thaler - 1 Guldiner obverse
1 Thaler - 1 Guldiner reverse
1 Thaler - 1 Guldiner
1805
1 Ducat obverse
1 Ducat reverse
1 Ducat
1805-1806
💎 Extremely Rare