The medal fever spreads across Europe

Based on the French «history in metal» model, the Habsburg emperors also began recording their victories over the Turks and the French in the form of medals. The court medallist Johann Carl Hedlinger from Schwyz (1691–1771) created similar metal mementos for the Swedish kings.

Apart from the Masters of Augsburg and Nurnberg, it was above all Jean and Jacques Antoine Dassier of Geneva who promoted the production and sale of medal sets to commemorate historical events and leading personalities, called suite medals. In Basel Friedrich Fecher (1621–1653) specialized in producing medals of merit and commemorative medals.

In terms of motif and stylistic idiom, the Baroque medals also leaned heavily on the ancient models. The thirst for antiquity continued up to Napoleon (1799/1804–1814) who had his own «histoire métallique» designed and produced.