1/4 Thaler - Maximilian III

The Teutonic Order's authority to strike coinage derived from imperial privileges dating back centuries, but by 1615 the Order was a drastically diminished institution — stripped of its Prussian territories by secularization in 1525 and reduced largely to a ceremonial and military presence in the Holy Roman Empire. Maximilian III, elected Grand Master in 1590, worked to stabilize the Order's finances and reassert its dignity, partly through a coinage program that projected continuity with older traditions.

The dual KM reference reflects genuine cataloging uncertainty about die varieties or emission distinctions within this issue.