Belgium (Liège): silver Ernestus of Ernest of Bavaria, 1582

Belgium (Liège): silver Ernestus of Ernest of Bavaria, 1582


PCGS Genuine - VF Details (code 97-"Environmental Damage"), cert. #39640151.

Ex-Jean Elsen & ses Fils Auction 142, Lot 938 (part of), 14 September 2019.

Silver (or perhaps billon), 30.3 mm, 4.18 g.

I cannot find an exact match for the type on Numista and the coin is too early for coverage in Krause-Mishler, but I did see some similar types listed on ACSearch.

This coin's type gets its name from Ernest of Bavaria (b. 1554, d. 1612), who was the prince-elector-archbishop of the Archbishopric of Cologne and also the bishop of Liège in the Low Countries (now modern Belgium). As is sometimes the case with these 16th-century types, they only put the last two digits of the date on the coin. In this case, it is the 8-2, for (15)82, on flanking sides of the coat of arms.

It is a hammered silver or or more likely base-silver (billon) coin the size of a United States half dollar, which makes it rather large as hammered coins go.

PCGS gave it a VF-details grade, noting "environmental damage". I expect this has something to do with the very faint greenish tinge seen in places around the edges, which I have noticed on other coins of this period that came from buried hoards. I suppose this was a byproduct of the copper in the alloy reacting to the environment over time. At least it is not PVC contamination, or PCGS would not have encapsulated the coin. They instead ruled it "environmental"- and therefore from natural causes.

I really don't find that part distracting. The rest of the coin has contrasting dark grey- nearly black- toning which I personally found quite attractive, since it sets off the design nicely.