8 Ducats - Maximilian I Joseph Bavarian Constitution - Gold Pattern

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.