Thurgau Schilling

Thurgau Schillings were frequently restruck on older planchets, embedding bits of previous designs beneath their own—like unintended palimpsests of Swiss history.

That practice reflected the era's pragmatic approach to silver, especially in a canton like Thurgau, where resources were scarce and every scrap counted. These coins, struck from 1600 to 1798, typically weighed around 2 to 3 grams, though variations were common due to inconsistent alloy purity. The obverse often bore the Swiss cross flanked by the date; the reverse showed Thurgau's coat of arms, a lion rampant over a shield.

Mintage records for many years are spotty at best, lost to fires or simply never kept. We know production peaked in the mid-1700s, but hard numbers? Forget it.

As for myths, I've heard tales of hidden treasures in old hoards. Most are nonsense. These were workaday currency, not artifacts of legend.

Experts note the occasional die clash, where images blurred into something abstract. It's almost modern art, if you're feeling generous.