Liege 1652 escalin
This specimen was lot 1183 in Jean Elsen sale 156 (Brussels, September 2023), where it sold for €90 (about US$116 including buyer's fees). The catalog description[1] noted,
"LIEGE, Principauté, Maximilien Henri de Bavière (1650-1688), AR escalin, 1652, Liège. D/ Lion deb. à g., ten. une épée et une crosse sur laquelle est posé un écusson de Bouillon. R/ Ecu de Bavière couronné, chargé de l'écusson de Bouillon, sur une croix de Bourgogne. Très Beau. (principality of Liège, Maximilian Henry of Bavaria, 1650-88, silver escalin of 1652, Liège mint. Obverse: lion rampant left, bearing a sword and a cross and supporting the arms of Bouillon; reverse: crowned arms of Bavaria with the escutcheon of Bouillon over a Burgundian cross. 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 type was struck 1651-58. This date is among the first for the new prince-bishop.
Maximilian Henry was the third 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 5,00 g.
Catalog reference: KM 76, Chestret 636; Dengis 1097.
- Cuhaj, George S., and Thomas Michael, Standard Catalog of World Coins, 1601-1700, 6th ed., Iola, WI: Krause Publications, 2014.
- [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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