2 Pfenning - Maximilian II, Louis II

Bavaria retained its own coinage system well into the North German Confederation period, a political concession that allowed southern German states to maintain nominal monetary independence even as Prussian dominance over the region hardened. This 2 Pfennig type spans the reigns of two kings — Maximilian II, who died in 1864, and Ludwig II, whose accession continued the issue without design interruption. The Bavarian currency was formally absorbed into the new Imperial mark system following unification in 1871, which effectively ended this type's production and rendered the entire Pfennig coinage obsolete within a few years of its last striking.