(sold for $14.0)

1708, Switzerland, St. Gallen. Billon Silver Uniface Pfennig Coin. XF-AU!

Denomination: Pfennig
Mint Year: ca. 1708 (not dated).
References: HMZ-912j, KM-45. R!
Mint Place: St. Gallen (Saint Gall, Switzerland)
Condition: Struck concave (as it should be), minor deposits and light deformations, otherwise XF-AU!
Material: Billon Silver (low grade silver)
Diameter: 12mm
Weight: 0.19gm

Obverse: Bear, wearing jeweled collar, walking left. Mint mark (G) in lower field.

Reverse: Blank (as usual for this uniface issue).

The origin of the bear as a symbol of St. Gallen comes from legend. According to folklore, when the Irish missionary Gallus decided to build a monastery near the river Steinach around AD 600, he encountered a hungry bear. Gallus fed the bear some bread, and, in return, the bear helped him gather wood for the building. In recognition of its importance in the founding of St. Gallen, the bear became a symbol of the town.

St. Gallen is a Swiss city and the capital of the canton of St. Gallen. It evolved from the hermitage of Saint Gall, founded in the 7th century. Today, it is a large urban agglomeration (with around 167,000 inhabitants in 2019) and represents the center of eastern Switzerland. Its economy consists mainly of the service sector. The city is home to the University of St. Gallen, one of the best business schools in Europe.

The main tourist attraction is the Abbey of Saint Gall, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The Abbey's renowned library contains books from the 9th century. The official language of St. Gallen is (the Swiss variety of Standard) German, but the main spoken language is the local variant of Alemannic Swiss German. The city has good transport links to the rest of the country and to neighbouring Germany and Austria. It also functions as the gate to the Appenzellerland.