Liege 1641 daler Dav-4291
This specimen was lot 1508 in Jean Elsen sale 162 (Brussels, June 2025), where it sold for €650 (about US$901 including buyer's fees). The catalog description[1] noted,
"LIÈGE, Principauté, Ferdinand de Bavière (1612-1650), AR daler Ferdinand de 30 patards, 1641, Liège. Au titre de duc de Bouillon. D/ B. à g. en costume électoral. R/ Cartouche aux armes de Bouillon, sous une couronne, entre F-B. En dessous, XXX-1641. Très rare. (bishopric of Liège, Ferdinand of Bavaria, 1612-50, silver daler of thirty patards of 1641, Liège mint, struck in the name of the duke of Bouillon. Obverse: bust left in Elector's costume; reverse: cartouche with the arms of Bouillon, under a crown, between "F - B", value and date below. Very rare, 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 14,93 g.
Catalog reference: Dav-4291, KM 60.4 (30 patards), Chestret 592; Dengis 1062A; 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.
- [1]Elsen, Philippe, et al., Vente Publique 162: Collection Jacques Druart, Brussels: Jean Elsen et ses Fils S.A., 2025.
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