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4 Ducats - Charles II of Liechtenstein-Kastelkorn
| Issuer | Bishopric of Olomouc (Kingdom of Bohemia) |
|---|---|
| Year | 1678 |
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| Shape | Round |
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| Obverse description | Draped bust of Bishop Charles II of Liechtenstein-Kastelkorn facing right, wearing ornate ecclesiastical vestments richly decorated with floral motifs and a pectoral cross suspended on a chain of office. The hair falls in long loose curls to the shoulders in the Baroque fashion. The circular Latin legend surrounds the portrait, reading continuously around the full circumference of the coin, identifying the issuer as Bishop of Olomouc and Duke and Prince of the Holy Roman Empire. The execution is in a fine Baroque engraving style characteristic of the Kroměříž mint in the second half of the seventeenth century. |
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| Obverse lettering | CAROL. D:G · EPVS · OLOMVCENSIS · DVX · S · R · I · PRCEPS · |
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| Additional information |
Charles II of Liechtenstein-Kastelkorn served as Prince-Bishop of Olomouc from 1664 until his death in 1695, presiding over the diocese during the long shadow of post-Thirty Years' War reconstruction. The Bishopric retained the right to strike its own coinage — including high-denomination gold multiples like this four-ducat piece — a privilege jealously maintained by ecclesiastical princes throughout the Holy Roman Empire even as imperial centralization steadily eroded such prerogatives.
Four-ducat pieces from this issue were almost certainly presentation strikes rather than circulating currency, intended as diplomatic gifts or chapter rewards. Surviving examples tend toward higher preservation as a direct consequence.