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1/2 Griffin - John of Bavaria
| Issuer | Liege, Prince-bishopric of |
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| Year | 1389 |
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| Composition | Silver |
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| Obverse description | A griffin sejant facing left occupies the central field, its wings displayed and forelegs raised, supporting a shield bearing the arms of Bavaria-Palatinate (lozengy). The figure is rendered in a bold, gothic hammered style characteristic of late 14th-century Low Countries minting. The central device is enclosed within a beaded inner circle, surrounded by the Gothic uncial legend in the outer ring. The overall composition is typical of the heraldic half-groat coinage issued under the Prince-Bishops of Liege. |
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| Reverse description | A long cross pattée extends from the center to the outer legend, dividing the field into four quarters and intersecting the surrounding inscription. At the center of the cross is a small shield bearing the Bavarian arms (lozengy). The cross is set over a multifoil or polylobe inner frame, a decorative element common to episcopal coinage of the Mosan region. The reverse legend, rendered in Gothic uncial, runs continuously around the outer border, naming the monetary authority of Liege. |
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| Additional information |
John of Bavaria was not yet bishop when this coin was struck — he was appointed coadjutor of Liège in 1389 under his uncle Arnold of Horne, effectively running the diocese while still a teenager. His tenure would later collapse into open warfare with the citizens of Liège, culminating in the brutal suppression following the Battle of Othée in 1408, where he massacred thousands of burghers and stripped the city of its traditional liberties.
The griffin denomination was a regional unit peculiar to the Low Countries ecclesiastical mints of the late 14th century, borrowed loosely from the Flemish monetary system.