German States (Teutonic Order): silver 1/4-thaler of Grand Master Maximilian of Austria, ca. 1615

German States (Teutonic Order): silver 1/4-thaler of Grand Master Maximilian of Austria, ca. 1615

Obverse: continuous legend: MAXIMIL: DG: ARC: AV: DVX:BVRG: MAG: PRVSS: ADMI:, caped duke standing, long sword in right hand, lion with shield left, plumed helmet right. (Translation of obverse legend: "Maximilian, by God's Grace Archduke of Austria, Duke of Burgundy, Grand Master of the Teutonic Order".)
Reverse: Armored and helmeted duke with lance on draped horseback right, 16 shields surrounding, coat of arms of the Grand Master of the Teutonic Order below.
Issuer: Maximilian III of Austria, as Grand Master of the Teutonic Order.
Specifications: Silver, 30 mm, 7 g approx.
Grade: PCGS XF45, cert. #81824095.
Reference: KM-38, PCGS-61537, Numista-80312.
Provenance: ex-Halbedel Münzen und Medaillen, Salzburg, Austria, via MA-Shops, 25 May 2016. Purchased raw.
Notes: The Teutonic Knights were founded as a military order during the Crusades. Since 1810 they have been a purely religious order doing charitable work, but they still award knighthoods.
Comments: If you can describe a coin as having machismo, this one certainly does. We have a big man in armor with a huge sword, a lion, and an elaborate helmet. And that's just the obverse! On the other side, a sinister looking armored horse and its rider charge across the reverse. And then there are all those heraldic shields. There is so much going on here! This is why I love thaler coinage: for the intricate designs. This one is only a quarter-thaler, but it's still a sizeable coin and quite elaborate.



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This coin was the subject of an earlier thread in late 2016, but couldn't be retooled to add the poll, so I created this new thread with my updated format. This way I can link to it from my collection thread.