My first coin from Salzburg: 1/4 Thaler 1642 klippe/diamond shape, holed

Got my first coin from the Bishopric of Salzburg. 1/4 thaler 1642. It's got some problems (holes in the corners, looks like it was mounted, someone gold-plated it), but an intact one, if I had ever seen one, would probably be outside my price range anyway.

I thought the "klippe" style of diamond-shaped coins were for siege money, but apparently Salzburg used them for regular coinage sometimes.

 

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I like it. The only Klippe's I have are modern re-strikes.

 

Salzburg made some amazing money. They made "Round" and "Klippe" coins from small change coins to the mouth watering multiple Dukaten. They struck klippe 50/44/36/24 Dukaten/ also most smaller versions.

 

Square coins were struck in ancient times, especially in India. In mediaeval Europe square coins were first produced in Scandinavia around 1460 under King Christian I of Denmark, Norway and Sweden. They are known as klippings. The word refers to the then common method of making the coins and is derived from the Swedish klippa ("cut", "scissors", "snap off"). The term later came into international use in numismatics.
During the Swedish War of Liberation between 1519 and 1523 King Christian II of Denmark, Norway and Sweden as well as his opponent Gustav I Vasa issued large quantities of Klippings. The Klippings Christians came in four denominations, 14 pennings made of silver, 6 pennings made of bad silver, and copper coins of 4 and 3 pennings. Christian II was given the nickname Kong Klipping ("King Klipping") because of the large number of klippings he struck. Subsequent kings also struck Klippings, including Christian III. of Denmark and Norway from 1534 to 1535. During the Three Crowns War from 1563 to 1570, both Frederick II of Denmark and Norway and Erik XIV of Sweden produced Klippings with a metal content below their nominal value.
Klippe coins outside Scandinavia were originally largely siege issues, especially during the numerous wars of the 16th and 17th centuries. They were easier to produce than round coins. However, some rulers issued below standard klippes to bolster their treasuries or pay troops, even without the excuse of a siege. From the 17th century rulers began striking klippe coins as commemorative or presentation pieces. This was particularly popular in Salzburg, Nuremberg and Saxony.
The Swedish copper plate money struck from 1624-1768 is square or rectangular but it is not what one thinks of when one hears the word 'klippe". Tsarina Catherine I of Russia also struck copper klippes, including very large ones for higher denominations, from 1725-27. (help from Wikipedia gratefully acknowledged)

So @The Eidolon's Salzburg Quarter Talerklippe may be the start of a long journey, even before getting into Siege and Emergency klippes.
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@talerman: Thanks for the informative writeup. Most of it was new to me. I don't know how many more long journeys I may have left in me, numismatic or otherwise, but I can hope!

I do have some Swedish emergency money, though not square.
Sweden, 1719, "Hoppet" (hope) 1 Daler Emergency Coin


And one piece of Swedish copper plate money (heavily corroded as it is a shipwreck salvaged piece, I believe) 4 Daler, 1756, 1930g


And one more siege coin, from the 80 Years' War/Netherlands War of Independence
Netherlands, Maastricht, 1 stuiver, 1579 (siege)


I'll have to keep an eye out for any square siege coins.

 

Interesting coin design, I might have to look for one of these!

 

Couple of mine...
One struck when Sulieman laid seige to Vienna in 1529/ other a Nurnberg "small denomination" 1/4 Dukat 1700/
Probably what a labourer got paid for a days hard work. Today, same pay would be $100@ day/ most make way more then that today/ (300-500)

 

I posted quite a few Siege Klippes on the thread
Post your Emergency Issue coins and notes

but I stopped in August because there did not seem much interest. I will go and post some more. I find them fascinating.

 

I will go back to see. I was working 24/7 in August and did not see CT posts. I am fascinated by siege coinage. My home town of Julich was under siege in 1610 from Protestant Armies/ the Catholic Imperial forces liberated Julich in 1622

 

Nice klippe! Salzburg minted some beautiful coins.

Thirty years ago or so I was just starting to collect world crowns and my local dealer had a 1694 Salzburg thaler in his case. I just had to have it - it is still one of my favorites:

 

I wanted a klippe type and had to settle for a 1/9 Thaler