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.
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.