1 Sterling - Ludwig IV der Bayer

Ludwig IV's sterling issues of 1325–1328 fall squarely within his prolonged conflict with Pope John XXII, who had excommunicated him in 1324 and declared his kingship invalid. Minting activity during this period was partly a political act — demonstrating functioning imperial administration while the papacy insisted there was none. The sterling type itself reflects Ludwig's Rhineland ambitions and the commercial influence of English penny coinage that had penetrated German trade networks throughout the late thirteenth century.

Mayhew's classification of 332–334 distinguishes subtle die variants within this short emission window.