4 Liards - Jean-Théodore of Bavaria

Jean-Théodore of Bavaria held the see of Liège largely as an absentee prince-bishop, spending the bulk of his time managing his three other concurrent ecclesiastical appointments — Freising, Regensburg, and Liège — simultaneously. The 4 liard copper issues of 1750–52 were struck during a period of persistent small-denomination coin shortages in the principality, a chronic condition throughout the mid-eighteenth century that repeatedly forced local authorities to authorize emergency subsidiary coinage well beyond what the treasury would have otherwise sanctioned.

KM#159 is one of several copper types attributed to this reign, none of which are particularly difficult to locate, though problem-free examples without heavy verdigris are another matter.