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8 Ducats - Maximilian I Joseph Bavarian Constitution - Gold Pattern
| Issuer | Royal Bavarian Mint |
|---|---|
| Year | 1818 |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | 8 Ducats (27.5) |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| Obverse description | Log in to see details |
|---|---|
| Obverse script | Latin |
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| Reverse description | Central device depicts a three-dimensional stone cube or block resting on a flat surface, with the inscription CHARTA MAGNA BAVARIAE engraved across its face, symbolising the Bavarian Constitution of 1818. The circular legend MAGNUS AB INTEGRO SAECLORUM NASCITUR ORDO — a Virgilian phrase signifying the dawn of a new age — runs along the upper periphery. Below the cube, in two lines in the exergue area, the date XXVI MAII MDCCCXVIII (26 May 1818) records the promulgation of the constitution. The reverse is boldly struck with a plain, highly polished field, befitting its status as a pattern or presentation piece. The overall composition is emblematic and commemorative in character. |
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| Additional information |
Bavaria received its first written constitution in May 1818, a document pushed through largely by Maximilian's chief minister Montgelas — though Montgelas himself had been dismissed months earlier, making the final promulgation something of a political irony. The constitution was among the more liberal in the German states at the time, establishing a bicameral parliament and guaranteeing certain civil rights.
This pattern was never adopted for circulation. The eight-ducat denomination itself was an unusual choice, sitting outside Bavaria's standard coinage framework of the period, which strongly suggests commemorative intent from the outset.