Bavaria 1525 1/2 batzen
This specimen was lot 547 in Sincona sale 89 (Zürich, May 2024), where it sold for 70 CHF (about US$93 including buyer's fees). The catalog description[1] noted,
"DEUTSCHLAND Bayern, Herzogtum, Wilhelm IV. und Ludwig X. 1516 - 1545. Halbbatzen 1525, München. Fast vorzüglich. Exemplar der Auktion Münzen und Medaillen AG 74, Basel, Oktober 1988, Los 102. (Germany, duchy of Bavaria, William IV and Louis X, hal batzen of 1525, Munich mint. About extremely fine.)"
The batzen or four kreuzer was popular in south Germany and Switzerland in the late Middle Ages. Later, the three kreuzer or groschen displaced it, leaving it to circulate mostly in Switzerland. The oldest Bavarian half batzen mentioned in the SCWC is KM MB85 of 1560-65. Two kreuzer were struck there occasionally until 1754.
Recorded mintage: unknown.
Specification: silver or billon, this specimen 1.86 g.
Catalog reference: Hahn 22.
- Craig, William D., Germanic Coinages: Charlemagne through Wilhelm II, Mountain View, CA: 1954.
- [1]Richter, Jürg, SINCONA Auction 89, The Garrulus Collection of Numismatic Rarities and Masterpieces, Zürich: SINCONA AG, 2024.
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