$5,630.00 USD
The 1702 Bavaria Goldgulden was struck during the reign of Maximilian II Emanuel, Prince-Elector of Bavaria from 1679–1726. Maximilian II Emanuel (often called Max Emanuel) was a member of the Wittelsbach dynasty and an ambitious ruler of Bavaria, then a principality of the Holy Roman Empire.
He was an able military commander whose far-reaching ambitions—particularly his involvement in the War of the Spanish Succession (1701–1714) on the side of France—led to conflicts that ultimately limited his dynastic achievement. In 1704, Max Emanuel was defeated and temporarily exiled after the Battle of Blenheim, though he would regain his position by 1714. The year 1702, when this Goldgulden was issued, thus falls at the beginning of the War of Spanish Succession, a turbulent period for Bavaria and its coinage.
The obverse of the 1702 Goldgulden features a right-facing draped bust of Maximilian II Emanuel, with a Latin legend around the edge naming his title. The abbreviated legend "M E V B & P S D C C P R S R I A & E L L" stands for Maximilian Emanuel, Duke of Bavaria and Pfalz, etc., Arch-Steward of the Holy Roman Empire, etc.
The reverse shows a crowned Madonna and Child (the Virgin Mary holding the infant Jesus) above the Wittelsbach coat-of-arms, with the date "1702" split on either side of the arm. Around the reverse is the Latin motto "IN TE SPERANTIBUS CLYPEUS OMNIBUS," which translates roughly to "A shield to all who place their hope in You." This religious inscription underscores Bavaria's Catholic identity – Mary was regarded as Patrona Bavariae, the patron of Bavaria.
This condition rarity means an MS64 is not only objectively uncirculated but is among the best-preserved survivors in existence. The scarcity of such high-grade coins dramatically influences value and collector demand. Numista's user-based rarity index for this coin type is 95 out of 100, indicating it is among the most elusive coins in collectors' hands.
