Owner Comments:
As per his usual on Fridays, the King loved to meet with his old friend and mentor - who at the same time was also the Director of the royal Münzkabinet (Muenzkabinet) Ignaz von Streber (Franz Ignaz von Streber). They liked to spend a great deal of time discussing new projects related to the production of coins and medals, coinage technologies, along with floating new ideas for historical thalers meant to glorify the greatness not only of Bavaria but of the King himself. However, today they focused on the monetary system in general, and about the Gulden in particular. "Our Bavarian Guilders, they will be our national pride!" - The king exclaimed, before letting out a sigh of weariness - "this coin will be much better and more convenient than all these Prussian thalers! And tell me, dear Franz, if my memory serves me right, it was with the Gulden PARTICULARLY that the entire monetary system of the German lands began... so that we have every right to continue the traditions of our ancestors - I just dream of returning our dear Gulden to circulation!" -
"In general, you are correct" - the old numismatist looked thoughtfully at the ceiling, scratching at his wig - "it actually began with the Imperial Minting Ordinance (Reichsmuenzordnungen) of the Holy Roman Empire. As I recall, the first was Esslinger Imperial Coin Order (Reichsmuenzordnung), in November 10, 1524... It was then that the Guilders were declared an imperial coin for all German lands. And these were both gold and silver Guilders, solid and pure Reichsguldiners, equal in value to silver to a gold coin... If my memory serves me, each coin should have had 27.41 grams of pure silver. The problem was... ah, yes, the problem was that at that moment the popular coinage in circulation was the Guldengroshenes... silver and unbalanced , minted through the Barons of Schlick in Joachimsthal [thus the term Joachimstalers] ... and which contained 27.2 (!) grams of silver." After saying this, von Streber smiled as he noticed the King's attention suddenly snap back to what exactly it was that he was talking about in the first place. Resuming, "This would obviously necessitate a recall, but those are expensive... It would have been much easier to change the Coin Order again - which was done PRECISELY by Emperor Ferdinand I on July 28, 1551. The Augsburg Coin Order (Augsburger Reichsmuenzordnung) came first, and then the second statute followed on August 19, 1559, as the First could not eliminate the confusion in pure weight... statistically speaking. The First Augsburg Order had already introduced the Austrian Kreutzer as its standard imperial coin - thank God it did not spread throughout Germany, as its circulation was kept mainly south of the Main [River]. Then, the Second Imperial Augsburg Monetary Order had set the golden Gulden (Goldgulden) as equal to 75 Kreutzers, and the silver-accounting Gulden (der Reichsguldiner) was equal to 60 Kreutzers.... "
Ludwig listened intently to the old man's monotonous speech, but suddenly found himself beginning to fall asleep yet again, just as once upon a time, as a University student, he found himself surrendering to dreams under the murmurs of his old professors ... he then shook his head, trying to understand what von Streber was talking about but the thread of the conversation slipped away from him, again, his mind like a loose end, helpless to the Zarathustran wind of the old master's knowledge. "... And in the end it turned out that one Guilder was equal to 8 Zehners, which was equal to 12 Fuenfers, which amounted to 30 Halbbatzens (Albusses), which in their turn ended up somehow corresponding to 60 Kreuzers, which ultimately amounted to 240 Austrian pfennings (Pfennig) .... Your Majesty, what's wrong? ... Do you feel unwell?" von Streber started anxiously, upon seeing the thousand yard stare etched into his King's face - "Maybe if I get you some water?" The King zoned back in. "Water, what? Ah, yes ... er .. No, thanks ... But do go on, so you said, what was it, thirty Albussers ... ?" -
Ludwig had already made a hidden decision to change the subject of the conversation, but did not know how exactly to go about making it a reality. "Thus, from 1754 on, the Gulden has been, as it were, a SINGULAR counting unit, which also is 5/12 of the Convention Thaler on the Graumann Currency Reform," continued the Muenzkabinet Guardian, "but it didn't CIRCULATE like a normal coin would ..." He then could go no further, as the King lifted a finger in hasty interruption. "Excuse me, dearest Franz!" Taking the opportunity for a quick soul-burning stare into the eyes, the King then released a smile, saying, " - I completely forgot - I have an important meeting with the Minister of Trade now! We will finish tomorrow !! - Ludwig beat a retreat as he rushed off to the royal washroom. "Where are you going, Your Majesty?? I must tell you more about the Monetary Order of Zinna (Zinnaer Muenzvertrag) and Leipzig ... "- The old Munzdirector then looked after the fleeing monarch and smiled, waving his hand.
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Thus, the Gulden acquired a new quality after the Monetary Reform of 1750, carried out by Johann Philippe Graumann, Director of the Coin Administration under Frederick II in Brandenburg-Prussia. The old Reichstaler, in view of their high standard and the high cost of minting, was exchanged for the Guilders (2/3 Thaler) making it the main coin in circulation. But due to the continuing leakage of high-grade Guldens and their replacement with a lower-grade coin, in the end, a new thaler was introduced for a 14-taler coin order with a net weight of 16.7 grams, which formed the basis for the Prussian monetary system, and after that came the Dresden Convention in 1838 - uniting all of Germany. King Ludwig, in turn, fulfilled his promise and issued a coin in the form of one Gulden following Bavaria's entry into the Coin Union of German South Lands [1837]. The Bavarian Guilder was equal to 4/7 of the Prussian Thaler, or 60 Kreutzers. The same ratio remained after the reform of 1857, when the rule of the Union Thaler (Vereinsthaler) was universally and finally established.
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German Talers since 1800 by John S. Davenport.
Bavaria. King Ludwig I Series (1825-1848).
2 Gulden, 1848.
LUDWIG I KOENIG VON BAYERN, Head of the king to the right.
ZWEY GULDEN, arms of Bavaria supported by lions, crown on the top. 1848 below.
Edge: Blocks.
21.2100 g., 0.9000 Silver, 0.6137 oz ASW.
Dav. 594, Thun 89, AKS 77, J. 63, Schw. 21.
NGC MS 63.
This is an example of circulating coinage of Ludwig I of Bavaria - Two Gulden 1848. Great state of preservation with full luster, touch of toning and uncirculated sharp details. Some contact marks are appreciated in the fields. Great collectible coin - part of Ludwig I of Bavaria series!