Liege 1622 daler Dav-4291
This specimen was lot 1507 in Jean Elsen sale 162 (Brussels, June 2025), where it sold for €140 (about US$194 including buyer's fees). The catalog description[1] noted,
"LIÈGE, Principauté, Ferdinand de Bavière (1612-1650), AR nouveau daler Ferdinand de 30 sols, 1622, Liège. Au titre de duc de Bouillon. D/ B. à g. R/ Cartouche aux armes de Bouillon, sous une couronne, entre F-B. En dessous, XXX-1622. Nettoyé. Griffes et éclat du flan. (bishopric of Liège, Ferdinand of Bavaria, 1612-50, silver new dollar of thirty sols of 1622, Liège mint, with his title of duke of Bouillon. Obverse: bust left; reverse: cartouche with the arms of Bouillon under a crown between crowned 'F-B', value and date below. Cleaned, scratches and rim crack, Very Fine.)"
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 subtype was struck 1619-25, 1630, 1634-37, 1641, 1645-46. It isn't really large enough to qualify as a thaler but Davenport has it in his book for lack of anything else.
Ferdinand was the second 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 15,94 g.
Catalog reference: Dav-4291, KM 60.4 (30 patards), Chestret 591; Dengis 1033A; Delm. 467.
- Cuhaj, George S., and Thomas Michael, Standard Catalog of World Coins, 1601-1700, 6th ed., Iola, WI: Krause Publications, 2014.
- Davenport, John S., European Crowns, 1600-1700, Galesburg, IL, 1974.
- Jean-Luc Dengis, Les Monnaies de la Principauté de Liege, 3 vols. Wetteren: Moneta, 2006.
- [1]Elsen, Philippe, et al., Vente Publique 162: Collection Jacques Druart, Brussels: Jean Elsen et ses Fils S.A., 2025.
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