If, I had to pick my fav. title...it would be "Grand Master". Usually, the leaders of the famed Knight Orders had this title. I will start the ball rolling with this one/ Knight's of St. John/ Malta
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.
Here another Grand Master of the Teutonic Order: Albrecht of Hohenzollern - who created Prussia out of the Orders territory and with that created a hereditary monarchy that lasted till 1918. Duchy of Prussia - 3 Gröscher - 1532 - Duke Albrecht of Hohenzollern Duchy of Prussia - 3 Gröscher - 1542 - Duke Albrecht of Hohenzollern
MALTA Knights of St. John Juan de Omedes, Grand Master (1536-53) Tari 1539 Obv. arms: Qtrd. arms of Malta (cross) and Grand Master (pinetrees and 3 towers)
Rhodes Fabrice del Carretto GrandMaster 1513-21 AV Zecchino ND Rhodes would fall to the Turkish army in 1522.
Some of my favorite Malta coins: And then for something a bit different, a Rhodes (1396-1421) coin of Grand Master Philibert de Naillac
I am partial to these little Teutonic pieces. 1801 10 Kreuzer (1/6 taler) struck to commemorate the death of the Elector of Cologne and the Teutonic Order Grand Master, Archduke Maximilian Francis of Austria.
