A Swiss City Put a Bishop’s Torture on This Gold Coin. Only One May Survive.
The extraordinary combines a brutal story of martyrdom, the religious struggles of Renaissance Switzerland, and one of the greatest rarities in Swiss numismatics.
In 1557, the Swiss city of Lucerne placed a disturbing scene from history on an extraordinary gold coin. Its design shows an attacker driving a drill toward the eye of a seated bishop. The victim was Saint Leodegar, a seventh-century church leader whose violent death became part of Lucerne’s religious identity.
Nearly 900 years separated Leodegar’s death from the coin’s creation. Yet his story remained powerful enough to appear on one of the largest gold coins of Renaissance Switzerland.
Weighing an impressive 65.39 grams, the 1557 Lucerne 20 Goldgulden may be the only surviving example of its kind.
On October 27, 2026, the remarkable gold rarity realized CHF 325,000 [$388,850 USD] in SINCONA Auction 108. The result exceeded its CHF 250,000 opening price and gave collectors another opportunity to examine a coin that combines remarkable artistry with an extraordinary historical mystery.
![According to Sincona Auctions, The 1557 20 Goldgulden stands apart because of its exceptional size, [the largest Swiss gold coin of the 16th century] unusually dramatic design, and apparent uniqueness. It Sold for $388,850 USD](data:image/svg+xml;base64,PHN2ZyB4bWxucz0iaHR0cDovL3d3dy53My5vcmcvMjAwMC9zdmciIHZpZXdCb3g9IjAgMCAxMjAwIDYwMCIgd2lkdGg9IjEyMDAiIGhlaWdodD0iNjAwIiBidi1pbWctdXJsPSJodHRwczovL2NvaW53ZWVrLmNvbS93cC1jb250ZW50L3VwbG9hZHMvMjAyNi8xMS8xNTU3LUx1Y2VybmUtMjAtR29sZGd1bGRlbi0xMjAwLndlYnAiPjwvc3ZnPg==)
Saint Leodegar: The Bishop Behind the Brutal Design
The coin’s most compelling feature reaches back to the turbulent world of the Merovingian Franks.
Saint Leodegar, also known as Saint Léger, was born around 615 or 616 into a prominent Frankish noble family. His family connections helped him enter the Church and advance through its hierarchy.
He eventually became Bishop of Autun, in Burgundy, around 659. However, his religious responsibilities soon placed him at the center of a dangerous political struggle.
His principal rival was Ebroin, the powerful Mayor of the Palace in Neustria. Ebroin sought to strengthen royal authority, while Leodegar represented influential interests among the Burgundian nobility.
Their conflict eventually turned violent.
According to traditional accounts, Leodegar surrendered during an attack on Autun around 675. His enemies then subjected him to severe mutilation, including the loss of his eyes. Later accounts also describe further injuries and his eventual execution.
Sources differ on the precise year of his death, generally placing it in 678 or 679.
Over time, religious tradition transformed the bishop into a celebrated martyr. Artists frequently identified him through the instrument associated with his blinding: a drill.
That distinctive symbol would eventually appear on Lucerne’s coinage.
Why Did Lucerne Place a Martyr’s Torture on Its Coins?
By 1557, Switzerland stood divided by the Protestant Reformation.
Zurich, Bern, Basel, and Geneva had embraced Protestant reforms. Meanwhile, Lucerne remained one of the strongest centers of Catholic influence within the Swiss Confederation.
The division went far beyond religion. It shaped political alliances, economic relationships, and the balance of power among the cantons.
Lucerne also enjoyed considerable wealth.
The city’s leaders benefited from arrangements that permitted foreign rulers to recruit Swiss mercenaries. These agreements generated revenue for the government and substantial payments for prominent military families.
Consequently, Lucerne possessed both the financial resources and political influence to express its identity through impressive coinage.
Saint Leodegar provided a particularly meaningful symbol.
His association with Lucerne reached back centuries. Around 735 or 736, local nobles established a monastery on the site of the present-day Church of St. Leodegar. The religious community later developed ties with Murbach Abbey in Alsace.
Eventually, Leodegar became one of Lucerne’s defining religious figures. His feast day, October 2, remains important to the city.
Against this background, the imagery on the 1557 gold coin carries considerable historical significance.
The bishop’s suffering represented religious devotion and endurance. Meanwhile, the elaborate heraldry on the opposite side displayed Lucerne’s civic authority and territorial influence.
Together, the designs reflected the religious and political world of Renaissance Lucerne.
However, no known contemporary document establishes that city officials specifically intended the 1557 gold issue as an anti-Protestant declaration. Its imagery clearly reflects Lucerne’s Catholic traditions, but the precise motivation remains uncertain.
A Massive Gold Coin With a Remarkable Design
The 1557 Lucerne 20 Goldgulden measures approximately 46 mm in diameter and weighs 65.39 grams.
Rather than commission an entirely new design, Lucerne’s mint used dies originally intended for a silver thaler.
One side depicts Saint Leodegar seated on a Gothic chair. He wears episcopal attire, including a bishop’s mitre, while an attendant of Ebroin approaches with a drill.
The surrounding Latin inscription identifies Leodegar as the patron saint of Lucerne.
Meanwhile, the opposite side presents an elaborate heraldic composition.
Two lions support the crowned imperial shield, with Lucerne’s coat of arms beneath it. Around the central design, 15 additional shields represent territories under Lucerne’s authority.
These include Rothenburg, Entlebuch, Sempach, Triengen, Malters, Kriens, Merenschwand, and Ebikon. The remaining shields represent Weggis, Horw, Habsburg, Münster, Sursee, Ruswil, and Willisau.
The design therefore combines two powerful elements of Lucerne’s identity: its patron saint and the extent of its territorial authority.
The Largest Swiss Gold Coin of the 16th Century
Although European mints produced impressive gold multiples during the Renaissance, few Swiss examples approached the weight of the Lucerne issue.
At 65.39 grams, SINCONA identifies the 1557 20 Goldgulden as the largest Swiss gold coin of the 16th century.
The auction house places it among the great heavyweight issues of Swiss numismatics. Other notable examples include undated 20-, 25-, and 30-ducat pieces from Basel.
Later issues include the 1681 Bern 20 ducats and the 1656 Schaffhausen 20 ducats.
Nevertheless, the Lucerne piece stands apart because of its exceptional size, unusually dramatic design, and apparent uniqueness.
Was the Coin a Gift for an Important Dignitary?
Perhaps the greatest mystery concerns its original purpose.
Why would Lucerne manufacture such an enormous gold piece using dies intended for ordinary silver coinage?
SINCONA suggests that the city may have commissioned the coin as a prestigious gift for a high-ranking dignitary or councilor.
Such presentation pieces could recognize distinguished service, commemorate an occasion, or honor an important individual.
The substantial gold content would have made the gift especially valuable.
However, researchers have not identified a surviving document naming the original recipient or explaining the commission.
Therefore, the presentation-piece theory remains plausible rather than proven.
The mystery adds another dimension to a coin already distinguished by its extraordinary rarity.
An Old Catalog Reference Raises Another Mystery
The 1557 Lucerne 20 Goldgulden also presents a small but intriguing problem in the numismatic literature.
Friedrich Wielandt documented a gold multiple of the same weight. However, his description reportedly places the diagonal crosshatching on the left half of Lucerne’s coat of arms.
The specimen in SINCONA’s auction has the crosshatching on the right half.
That difference raises an important question. Was Wielandt describing another coin, or did an error enter the historical record?
SINCONA considers a mistake in the earlier description a possible explanation.
For now, the auction house identifies the specimen as probably unique.
The different heraldic description does not establish the existence of a second surviving example.
From a 2004 Auction to SINCONA’s Lake View Collection
The coin has an important modern auction history.
In October 2004, Leu Numismatik AG offered the specimen in Zurich as Lot 37.
More than two decades later, it returned to the market through SINCONA’s The Lake View Collection of Magnificent Swiss Gold Coins – Part 1.
The Zurich auction house presented 74 lots in Auction 108 on October 27, 2026. The sale included numerous important Swiss gold rarities, including dozens of NGC-certified coins.
NGC certified the 1557 Lucerne 20 Goldgulden as AU Details, certification number 8902364-002.
The Details designation reflects surface concerns. SINCONA specifically notes light tooling in portions of the fields, while describing the coin’s overall preservation favorably.
Despite those issues, the specimen remains an exceptional survivor from the 16th century.
The coin opened at CHF 250,000 and ultimately achieved CHF 325,000 or $388,850 USD.
Its significance, however, extends far beyond its auction price.
Here is a coin that brings together the struggles of a seventh-century bishop, the religious divisions of Renaissance Europe, and the political ambitions of a powerful Swiss city.
Nearly five centuries after Lucerne created it, the gold piece still preserves those stories in metal.
And the question of whom the city originally intended to honor remains unanswered.
1557 Lucerne 20 Goldgulden Specifications
- Country: Switzerland, City of Lucerne
- Year: 1557
- Denomination: 20 Goldgulden
- Composition: Gold; exact fineness not confirmed
- Weight: 65.39 grams
- Diameter: Approximately 46 mm
- Edge: Plain
- Obverse: Saint Leodegar seated on a Gothic chair during his blinding
- Reverse: Crowned imperial arms, Lucerne coat of arms, two lions, and 15 territorial shields
- Dies: Gold striking using the dies of the 1557 silver thaler
- Known examples: Possibly unique; one currently documented specimen
- Mintage: Unknown
- Certification: NGC AU Details
- NGC certification number: 8902364-002
- Provenance: Leu Numismatik AG, Zurich, October 2004, Lot 37
- Recent auction: SINCONA Auction 108, October 27, 2026, Lot 2047
- Opening price: CHF 250,000
- Price realized: CHF 325,000
Selected references: Wielandt 30a (note); Haas-Zumbühl, Geschichtsfreund 1921/76, p. 107; Richter (Proben) 1-541 (LP); HMZ 2-617e (note).
