W. C a r e w H a z l i t t Coinage of the European Continent

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348
The Coins of Ettrope
Confederation in 1833. Of the second and third periods all
that can be said is, that the Helvetic Republic identified
itself with a very handsome and well -engraved series of
pieces in gold and silver, 1 some of which survived the return
to the former political constitution, and that the acceptance
of uniformity yielded, on the whole, a disappointing result,
and has awakened an agitation for repeal, in order to enable
each canton to choose its own type, and to make each
currency legal tender throughout the Union. It deserves to
be recollected that so far back as 1344, and again in
1450, Zurich took the initiative in promoting a similar
scheme ;
in the first instance without success, and in the
second with no permanent fruits. Geneva, two years only
after its accession to the federal Bond, established on its own
account (1535) a monetary basis, in which the florin =
( 2/th
part of a marc of Cologne standard) was divided into i 2 sols,
the sol into 1 2 deniers, the denier into 2 oboles, and the
obole into 2 pites or pougeoises. There were also periodical
approaches to a common understanding in the shape of
conventions among certain cantons for terms of years. But
there was no general accord till 1
848.
The solid interest and value attendant on a study of
this series are almost restricted to the independent work of
the Cantons from the Bracteate era one peculiarly rich. in
this case to the middle of the seventeenth century. We
have already entered into tolerably copious particulars of the
labours and product of the seats of coinage, with which the
territory abounded in former days, and have shewn how the
same place not unfrequently served two or even three
1
See Catalogue of Denominations, w. " Batz " and "Frank."