Liege 1680 ducaton Dav-4296
The first specimen was lot 1510 in Jean Elsen sale 162 (Brussels, June 2025), where it sold for €150 (about US$208 including buyer's fees). The catalog description[1] noted,
"LIÈGE, Principauté, Maximilien Henri de Bavière (1650-1688), AR ducaton, 1680 (sur 1670), Liège. Différent: perron. D/ B. à d., coiffé d'une calotte. R/ Écu couronné, soutenu par deux lions. Légères traces d'ajustage. (bishopric of Liège, Maximilian Henry of Bavaria, 1650-88, silver ducaton of 1680, Liège mint, 1680/70 overdate, column privy mark. Obverse: bust right, dressed in an elector's mantle and a skullcap; reverse: crowned arms supported by two lions. Light adjustment marks, about Very Fine.)"
The second specimen was lot 74092 in Stack's Bowers May 2026 World Premier Collectors Choice Auction (Costa Mesa, CA, May 2026), where it sold for $244. The catalog description[2] noted, "BELGIUM. Liege. Ducatone, 1686. Maximilian Heinrich of Bavaria. PCGS VF-30. From the Greyhound 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 type was struck 1666-83. Most casual collectors seeking a silver crown from this state, end up with this one or the patagon from Maximilian Henry's reign.
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: 32.48 g, 0.944 fine silver, 42.4 mm diameter, the first specimen 31,86 g.
Catalog reference: KM 84, Dav-4296, Chestret 641; Dengis 1105; Delm. 473.
- 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.
- [2]Orsini, Matt, Kyle Ponterio and Jeremy Bostwick, May 2026 World Premier Collectors Choice Online Auction - Ancients, World Coins & World Paper Money, Costa Mesa, CA: Stack's Bowers Galleries, Inc., 2026.
Link to: