





Hungarian Silver Denar with Madonna & Child (about 450-460 years ago)
This is a small silver coin from Habsburg-ruled Hungary featuring religious imagery, reflecting the deeply Catholic character of the Hungarian kingdom during the Counter-Reformation period.
Coin Description:
Front side: Depicts the Madonna and Child, a common religious motif in European Christian iconography
Back side: Likely features royal Hungarian heraldry or Maximilian II's portrait
Technical Details:
Silver composition (AR)
Denar denomination (small silver coin used for everyday transactions)
Minted at KB mint (Kremnitz/Körmöcbánya, now Kremnica in Slovakia)
Certified by NGC with exceptional MS62 grade (Mint State)
Minted during 1565-1576 CE
Historical Significance: This coin was issued during the reign of Habsburg Emperor Maximilian II, who ruled as King of Hungary during a pivotal period in European history. The 1560s-70s saw intense religious conflict during the Counter-Reformation, with Hungary standing as a frontier between Christian Europe and the expanding Ottoman Empire. The Madonna and Child imagery on this coin reflects the strong Catholic identity promoted by the Habsburg rulers in their territories. The exceptional preservation grade (MS62) indicates this coin survived in remarkable condition for nearly five centuries, possibly part of a buried hoard or treasury cache. Kremnitz (KB) was one of Europe's most important minting centers, known for high-quality coinage that circulated throughout Central Europe and beyond.
This is a small silver coin from Habsburg-ruled Hungary featuring religious imagery, reflecting the deeply Catholic character of the Hungarian kingdom during the Counter-Reformation period.
Coin Description:
Front side: Depicts the Madonna and Child, a common religious motif in European Christian iconography
Back side: Likely features royal Hungarian heraldry or Maximilian II's portrait
Technical Details:
Silver composition (AR)
Denar denomination (small silver coin used for everyday transactions)
Minted at KB mint (Kremnitz/Körmöcbánya, now Kremnica in Slovakia)
Certified by NGC with exceptional MS62 grade (Mint State)
Minted during 1565-1576 CE
Historical Significance: This coin was issued during the reign of Habsburg Emperor Maximilian II, who ruled as King of Hungary during a pivotal period in European history. The 1560s-70s saw intense religious conflict during the Counter-Reformation, with Hungary standing as a frontier between Christian Europe and the expanding Ottoman Empire. The Madonna and Child imagery on this coin reflects the strong Catholic identity promoted by the Habsburg rulers in their territories. The exceptional preservation grade (MS62) indicates this coin survived in remarkable condition for nearly five centuries, possibly part of a buried hoard or treasury cache. Kremnitz (KB) was one of Europe's most important minting centers, known for high-quality coinage that circulated throughout Central Europe and beyond.
This is a small silver coin from Habsburg-ruled Hungary featuring religious imagery, reflecting the deeply Catholic character of the Hungarian kingdom during the Counter-Reformation period.
Coin Description:
Front side: Depicts the Madonna and Child, a common religious motif in European Christian iconography
Back side: Likely features royal Hungarian heraldry or Maximilian II's portrait
Technical Details:
Silver composition (AR)
Denar denomination (small silver coin used for everyday transactions)
Minted at KB mint (Kremnitz/Körmöcbánya, now Kremnica in Slovakia)
Certified by NGC with exceptional MS62 grade (Mint State)
Minted during 1565-1576 CE
Historical Significance: This coin was issued during the reign of Habsburg Emperor Maximilian II, who ruled as King of Hungary during a pivotal period in European history. The 1560s-70s saw intense religious conflict during the Counter-Reformation, with Hungary standing as a frontier between Christian Europe and the expanding Ottoman Empire. The Madonna and Child imagery on this coin reflects the strong Catholic identity promoted by the Habsburg rulers in their territories. The exceptional preservation grade (MS62) indicates this coin survived in remarkable condition for nearly five centuries, possibly part of a buried hoard or treasury cache. Kremnitz (KB) was one of Europe's most important minting centers, known for high-quality coinage that circulated throughout Central Europe and beyond.
Maximilian II (31 July 1527 – 12 October 1576) was Holy Roman Emperor from 1564 until his death in 1576. A member of the Austrian House of Habsburg, he was crowned King of Bohemia in Prague on 14 May 1562 and elected King of Germany (King of the Romans) on 24 November 1562. On 8 September 1563, he was crowned King of Hungary and Croatia in the Hungarian capital Pressburg (Pozsony in Hungarian; now Bratislava, Slovakia). On 25 July 1564, he succeeded his father Ferdinand I as Holy Roman Emperor.[1][2]
Maximilian's rule was shaped by the confessionalization process after the 1555 Peace of Augsburg. Though a Habsburg and a Catholic, he approached the Lutheran Imperial estates with a view to overcome the denominational schism, which ultimately failed. He also was faced with the ongoing Ottoman–Habsburg wars and rising conflicts with his Spanish Habsburg cousins.
According to Fichtner, Maximilian failed to achieve his three major aims: rationalizing the government structure, unifying Christianity, and evicting the Turks from Hungary.[3] Peter Marshall opines that it is wrong to dismiss Maximilian as a failure. According to Marshall, through his religious tolerance as well as his encouragement of arts and sciences, he succeeded in maintaining a precarious peace.[4]
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