Owner Comments:
“My dear Ludwig!” - exclaimed Friedrich Wilhelm III through shining eyes underneath somber brows - “Enough playing games, I have seen through them all already! All of your attempts to unify the South under your political influence break upon the rocks of Prussian economic superiority. What good lies within your Custom Unions when all of your allies promise you one thing yet actually run to me behind your back and beg for economic favors? Yes, I refer to your friends Leopold and Wilhelm, those who rule Baden and Wurttemberg… they already sent emissaries to me and asked me to take them within our trade union. And furthermore, you yourself dream of a unified and strong Germany, yet Prussia, as you know, is the largest and strongest territory. And your currency! Of course I value your Guilders but let us acknowledge the truth - within every region is witnessed the superiority of the Vereinsmunze Talers. For this reason, my dear friend, the sooner that we (and I refer to Prussia and Bavaria) embrace each other within a solitary Custom Union, there will the economy be firmest, of our lands and of Germany.”
King Friedrich took a mouthful of wine from his crystal glass. He and King Ludwig I sat in the ornate Great Hall of the Palace. The meeting between the two monarchs occurred behind closed doors in solitude, and only one theme dominated the discussion: the establishment of a unitary economic climate within German lands. Slowly, King Ludwig rose from his armchair and took a few slow, measured steps. Within his head, thoughts tore away at his patience. He understood perfectly well that Prussia dominated Bavaria in economy and in sheer territory. He also understood that all of his efforts in the creation of the 1828 Southern Custom Union have fallen by the wayside and he can no longer exert his influence in the region at hand. Something needed to be done, and coincidentally, King Friedrich decides to visit the Palace. “You speak of Wurttemberg and Baden?” Said the King, exhaling slowly and setting his wineglass upon the table. “I understand perfectly well, dear Friedrich, your intentions to unify the region under Prussia’s centrality. You would have all other regions as your vassals paying their dues to Your Highness.” With this Ludwig met the gaze of the Prussian king head-on. “I am speaking of an economic union - politically, Bavaria shall remain as its own subject of influence with its own boundaries and with its own king.” Friedrich did not break the gaze of the Bavarian monarch. Friedrich began: “You already have lost Hessen and soon shall lose Wurttemberg, dearest Ludwig. Let us set aside all prejudices and make a decision that will benefit us all and all of the German people.”
Friedrich took another swig of wine. Ludwig eyed the Prussian monarch carefully. Ludwig asked, “How is it that we can unify all of the Custom Unions - South, North, and the Thuringian States?” Friedrich replied sharply, “My dear friend! Today I have invited Herr Friedrich List from France, our famous compatriot and the finest economist in the world and he shall, within the month, formulate a plan for a transition to a new economic level, to a, say, unitary German Custom Union. We shall unify the North, Central, and Southern Unions under the same economic rules and currency, to honor a Unified Germany!” - and Friedrich straightened his back to his full stature with wineglass in hand, seeming to offer a toast to the Bavarian king. “Splendid!” exclaimed Ludwig, also raising his glass to meet the Prussian’s, “to the flourishing and economic unification of Germany!” He understood that today he needed to strike this deal in order to avoid the collapse of the Southern Union, yet tomorrow would be a different day and nobody could know how Austria would behave herself, another great power in the massive chess game that is United Germany.
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And thus the German Custom Union was born. Soon over 20 million Germans would live under the same Customs rules and tariffs. The monetary system as well as all measurements experienced a unification. The economy grew, railroads were constructed, and banks were blooming - especially the Central Bank of Prussia. Yet the economic unification did not bring a political peacetime to the German states. Due to Prussian dominance over the other German states, the states grew more and more unstable and as a result, Prussia and Austria declared war on each other in 1866. The political instability grew to such a great extent that even Bavaria and some other medium-sized members of the Zollverein such as Hesse-Kassel, Hannover, and Nassau joined Austria in her fight against the Prussian regime - but this is another story to come…
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German Talers since 1800 by John S. Davenport.
Bavaria, King Ludwig Series (1825 - 1848).
Taler 1833, CUSTOM UNION.
Davenport 569, KM 762 (403), Thun 61, AKS 128, J.43.
Commemorative - for the Custom Union with Prussia, Saxony, Hesse and Thuringia.
Obverse: Head of the Ludwig I to the right, LUDWIG I KOENIG VON BAYERN. ZEHN EINE FEINE MARK.
Reverse: ZOLLVEREIN MIT PREUSSEN, SACHSEN, HESSEN U. THURINGEN, standed figure of godness of trade with caduceus, conucopias and anchor with prow of ship. 1833 below.
NGC MS 63+.
28.0600 g., 0.83300 Silver, 0.7515 oz. ASW.
Commemorative "Historic" Taler of Ludwig I of Bavaria - to Commemorate the Custom Union between Bavaria, Prussia, Saxony, Hesse and Thuringia. Attractive smoky toning with full luster preserved, mirrored fields with only some contact marks and hairlines, better-for grade appearance - great collectible uncirculated find for ANY german coins collector!! Popular coin on market!!