Owner Comments:
… “A letter from the King, for the Count,” exclaimed old valet, and with a bow of reverence presented a rather large package adorned with kingly symbols and a wax stamp bearing the letter “L”. Slowly, Count Franz Erwein von Schoenborn shut the book he was reading and apprehensively rose from his seat to greet the servant. “From the King? Surely you are not mistaken, Karl?” “Not at all, my lord! The clues do not lie; the package is from Munich, brought by the King’s courier, and the type as well… if you please, my Lord,” replied the servant calmly. Anxiously, the Count took hold of the package, saying, “Yes, it seems that my old friend Ludwig hasn’t forgotten about me! But what could be inside?” Opening the package, he found a small box with a folded letter; Franz instantly recognized the King’s handwriting. It read: “Dear friend, in memory of our mutual project, I send to you an example of the new Taler presenting our magnificent Pillar of the Constitution. As the ancient Greeks would say: one friend of the Constitution would send it to another! Our Pillar is a spectacular monument to the will of the German spirit! The Constitution, adopted by my father, shall unify us all before God and Law, and prevent the corruption and lawlessness that we suffered through during the dictatorship of Napoleon!” The Count opened the velvet box and thoughtfully eyed the gleaming new coin. Upon one side was stamped the majestic monolith of the Pillar, with an inscription of “The Pillar of the Constitution, erected by the Count von Schoenborn in memory of the year 1828”. On the other side, the regal profile of King Ludwig of Bavaria twinkled at him. With tears of memory in his eyes, the Count thought, “Thank you, Ludwig… thank you, my dear old friend.” He remembered how they hotly debated the project of the monument to commemorate the Ten Year Constitutional Anniversary, how they argued about the design with famous architect Leo von Klentze, who was brought by Ludwig himself from Munich and how in the year of 1821, the future King of Bavaria set into the earth the first foundation stone for a colossal monument. He also reminisced about the jubilant unveiling of the monument on the day of August 23rd, 1828, and the rivers of Bavarian beer and rapturous music and dance that marked a glorious day. The Celebration of the Constitution became an inseparable symbol of German culture, as thousands of people flocked from across the land to Gaibach to attend the festival. “Thank you, Ludwig, thank you, our dear, righteous King,” thought the Count as he looked at the new shiny coin in his hand… He did not yet know that on the celebration day of the year 1832, his good friend William Joseph Behr would utter a speech that would have him arrested as a slanderer of His Highness the King. Despite numerous appeals in the year 1835, he would be pronounced guilty and thrown into prison. Following this turn of events, the Count von Schoenborn entirely ceased to participate in politics any longer, and Constitutional celebrations in Gaibach were abandoned.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
German Talers since 1800 by John S. Davenport
Bavaria, King Ludwig Series (1825 - 1848).
Taler 1828, COLUMN OF THE CONSTITUTION
Davenport 562, KM 735, Thun 55, AKS 123, J.38
Commemoration of Tenth Anniversary of the Bavarian Constitution.
Obverse: Head fo Ludwig to the right, LUDWIG I KOENIG VON BAYERN. ZEHN EINE FEINE MARK
Reverse: VERFASSUNGSSAEULE ERRICHTET VOM GR. V. SCHOENBORN, Column, EINGEWEIHT 1828.
28.0600 g., 0.83300 Silver, 0.7515 oz. ASW.
NGC MS 63.
Cameo strike, proof-like appearance, some tiny hairlines in the fields.