The Silver Dollars of '60
Bavaria Thaler, 1760

Owner Comments:

Several German States minted thalers in 1760, some being quite scarce for today's collectors. This one from Bavaria is perhaps the most common. At 40-42 mm and 28.06 g this 83.3% silver coin adheres to the Holy Roman Empire standard of 23.39 g of silver, one-tenth of a Cologne silver mark, a standard known as the "conventionsthaler".

The obverse features the bust of Maximilian III Josef, Duke of Bavaria, considered to be one of the more enlightened rulers of the time. He founded Munich's first academic institution, the Bavarian Academy of Sciences in 1759. The reverse depicts the Madonna and child floating in clouds. This is my only, overtly religion themed coin in this set as I am not a fan of such imagery on coins, siding with those that believe the spiritual should be separated from earthly pursuits like commerce.

Slabbed purchase from the Heritage Long Beach auction in September of 2018.