Liege 1584 rixdaler Dav-8417
This specimen was lot 1110 in Jean Elsen sale 156 (Brussels, September 2023), where it sold for €7,500 (about US$9,623 including buyer's fees). The catalog description[1] noted,
"LIEGE, Principauté, Ernest de Bavière (1581-1612), AR daler à l'écu (rixdaler), 1584, Liège. Au titre de Rodolphe II de Habsbourg. D/ + ERNEST D G ELECT ET CONFIRM LEOD ETC Ecu écartelé de Bavière-Palatinat dans un cartouche orné. R/ RVDOL II IMP AVG P F DECRETO 1584 Aigle impériale éployée et couronnée. De la plus haute rareté. Légère faiblesse de frappe. Très Beau. Avec une ancienne étiquette manuscrite (acheté à Berlin le 7 mars 1955 pour 12 Marks. Exemplaire rarissime. Waldemar Wruck). (principality of Liège, Ernest of Bavaria, 1581-1612, silver rixdaler of 1584, Liège mint, struck in the name of Rudolf II. Obverse: quartered arms of Bavaria and the Palatinate in an ornate cartouche; reverse: crowned imperial eagle. Of the highest rarity, slightly weakly struck, Very Fine. Included is an old envelope from when it was purchased in Berlin in 1955 for 12 marks.)
"Monnaie rarissime, mise en circulation suite au mandement du 31 juillet 1584 donnant cours aux dalers, demi-dalers et quarts de daler frappés à Liège d'après les ordonnances du Saint Empire, à 10 deniers 16 grains de fin et pesant une once de Cologne. Le seul exemplaire publié est celui du Cabinet des Médailles de Munich, cité par Renesse, Chestret et Delmonte. Cet exemplaire est sans doute le deuxième exemplaire connu et le seul en collection privée. (Extremely rare type, put into circulation following the order of July 31, 1584, giving currency to dalers, half-dalers and quarter-dalers minted in Liège according to the ordinances of the Holy Empire, at 10 deniers 16 grains fine and weighing one Cologne ounce. The only published specimen is that of the Cabinet des Médailles in Munich, cited by Renesse, Chestret and Delmonte. This example is undoubtedly the second known copy and the only one in a private collection.)"
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. This is the only crown of this ruler.
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: silver, this specimen is 27,90 g.
Catalog reference: Dav-8417, Chestret 538; coll. Piat -; Dengis 960 (no example encountered); Delm-455 (one example).
- Davenport, John S., European Crowns, 1484-1600, Frankfurt: Numismatischer Verlag, 1977.
- [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.
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