Liege (1594) 12 sols

From CoinVarieties
Jump to navigation Jump to search
Jean Elsen sale 156, lot 1115

This specimen was lot 1115 in Jean Elsen sale 156 (Brussels, September 2023), where it sold for €950 (about US$1,219 including buyer's fees). The catalog description[1] noted,

"LIEGE, Principauté, Ernest de Bavière (1581-1612), Cu brûlé de 12 sols, s.d. (1594), Liège. Piéfort en cuivre. D/ Ecu écartelé de Bavière-Palatinat, posé sur une croix ornée longue coupant la légende. R/ Le perron entre XII-SVS. Très Beau. Provient de la collection H. Frère, 26 septembre 2012. (principality of Liège, Ernest of Bavaria, 1581-1612, undated twelve sols, Liège mint, piedfort in copper. Obverse: quartered arms of Bavaria and the Palatinate over an ornate long cross cutting the legends; reverse: column divides the value. Very Fine.)

"Probablement unique et décrit par Simonis comme un piéfort "en bronze et d'une admirable conservation". Dans sa publication, Simonis précise ne connaître que trois autres piéforts liégeois en bronze. (Probably unique as a piedfort, according to Simonis, who knew of three other bronze piedforts from Liege.)"

The bishopric of Liège was an ecclesiastical state in central Belgium. The surrounding territory was ruled by the Spanish Hapsburgs from about 1500 until 1699 and the Austrian Hapsburgs 1714-97. Piedforts are usually struck for presentation; this example was struck from heavily worn dies and circulated for a long time.

Ernest was the first of four prince-bishops from Bavaria. They were also dukes of Bouillon, archbishops of Cologne and electors of the Empire, all of which titles appeared in various combinations on their coins. They are as follows:

  • Ernest, r. 1581-1612, archbishop of Cologne (1583-1612), bishop of Münster (1584-1612), Freising, Hildesheim and Liège.
  • Ferdinand, r. 1612-50, archbishop of Cologne, bishop of Münster, Hildesheim, Paderborn (1618-50) and Liège. Never ordained as a priest.
  • Maximilian Henry, r. 1650-88, archbishop of Cologne, bishop of Münster, Hildesheim and Liège. Lost the duchy of Bouillon to Louis XIV.
  • Joseph Clement, r. 1688-1723, bishop of Regensburg and Freising (1685-94) and archbishop of Cologne, bishop of Hildesheim (1702-23) and Liège (1694-1723).
  • Clemens August, r. 1723-61, bishop of Regensburg (1716-19) and then archbishop of Cologne, bishop of Münster, Hildesheim, Osnabrück and Paderborn but never ruled in Liège. His incompetence and extravagance ended Wittelsbach rule in Cologne.

Recorded mintage: unknown.

Specification: copper, this specimen is 14,83 g.

Catalog reference: Chestret 557 (not reported); Simonis, RBN (1897), p. 475 (this example); Dengis 970 (this example).

Source:

  • [1]Elsen, Philippe, et al., Vente Publique 156, Collection de Monnaies de la Principauté de Liège, Brussels: Jean Elsen et ses Fils S.A., 2023.

Link to:

Retrieved from "https://coinvarieties.com/index.php?title=Liege_(1594)_12_sols&oldid=393053"