Gigot - Ernest of Bavaria, Bust left reverse

Ernest of Bavaria held the see of Liège from 1581 until his death in 1612, simultaneously accumulating bishoprics across the Holy Roman Empire — Freising, Hildesheim, Münster, and Cologne among them — a concentration of ecclesiastical power that drew repeated criticism from reformers and rivals alike. The gigot was a small copper fractional piece, struck specifically for the needs of local markets where silver was hoarded or simply unavailable.

KM#A9 is among the scarcer minor copper types of his Liège episcopate, with Liège#971 distinguishing the bust-left reverse orientation from otherwise similar dies of the period.