What to notice
The double-headed eagle
The crowned imperial eagle carries an orb and cross on its breast. It places the coin within the symbolic world of the Holy Roman Empire.
The city’s own arms
On the other side, a richly crested helmet stands above the coat of arms, supported by a griffin and a lion. Civic identity is given a prominent place.
A very different scale
At 41 mm and 29.17 g, this taler is much larger than the collection’s Roman and Greek silver. The physical contrast is part of the experience.
The two-minute story
Rome’s long shadow
By 1570, the Mediterranean empire of the ancient Romans belonged to a distant past. Yet Rome still supplied a language of authority. The Holy Roman Empire drew on that prestige while belonging to a very different political and religious world.
This taler was issued by the city of Köln in the name of Emperor Maximilian II. Its two faces bring together imperial symbolism and an elaborate display of the city’s arms. The pairing offers a way to read the coin: belonging to a larger imperial order while maintaining a strong civic identity.
Placed after the ancient coins, it makes the collection’s larger question visible. What survives when an empire changes or disappears? Names, symbols, titles, institutions, and ambitions can outlast the original state. Here, the Roman idea has travelled into the early modern world—and onto a substantial piece of silver.
The personal thread
Why this coin belongs here
The Köln taler extends the collection beyond antiquity. Its scale and detailed heraldry make it a striking object in the case, while its imperial language carries the historical story forward toward the later European world.
A question to share
Which side tells you about the empire, and which side tells you about the city?
Collector record
The attribution, physical details, and documented history of this specimen.
- Authority
- Köln (City), in the name of Maximilian II
- Emperor’s reign
- 1564–1576
- Dimensions
- 41 mm · 29.17 g · die axis 8h
- References
- Noss 145; Davenport 9155
- Acquisition
- CNG 133, Session 6, lot 6543 · 24 September 2026
- Earlier provenance
- Ex Triton XVII, 6 January 2014, lot 1034
- Catalogue condition
- Good VF; lightly toned
- Collection status
- Owned and received
The city issue, measurements, catalogue references, and earlier auction appearance are documented in the CNG catalogue.