(sold for $75.0)

1764, Passau (Bishopric), Leopold Ernst von Firmian. Silver 1/8 Thaler Coin. XF-

Mint Year: 1764 State: Passau (Bavaria) Reference: KM-84 ($175 in VF!). Denomination: 1/4 Thaler - Homage of Leopold Ernst von Firmian as Prince-Bishop of Passau Condition: Improperly cleaned with a metal brush (so-called sharp-claning), which left many scratches, othewrise a nicely toned XF!  Diameter: 24mm Weight: 3.47gm Material: Silver

Obverse: Divine hand holding olive-spray above four lambs within foliage and topped by crowne coat-of-arms of the Prince-Bishop. Legend: NON VI - SED AMORE ("Not with violence, but with love.")

Reverse: Inscription in seven lines above date (1764). Legend: LEOPOLD ERNEST / D:G EXEMPTAE ECCL / PATAUJENSIS EPPO . & / S . R . I . PPI . EXCOMIT & DNIS / DE FIRMIAN / HOMAG : PRAEST / PATAUII 18 IUNII / 1764.

Passau  is a town in Lower Bavaria, Germany, also known as the Dreiflüssestadt ("City of Three Rivers") because the Danube is joined there by the Inn from the south and the Ilz from the north. The Diocese of Passau is a Roman Catholic diocese in Germany that is a suffragan of the Archdiocese of Munich and Freising. It should not be confused with the Prince-Bishopric of Passau, an ecclesiastical principality that existed for centuries until it was secularized in 1803. The diocese covers an area of 5,442 km². Pope Benedict XVI was born and baptized on Holy Saturday, 16 April 1927, at Marktl am Inn, which is located within the Diocese of Passau.

Leopold Ernst von Firmian (1708–1783) was an Austrian bishop and Cardinal. He was Bishop of Seckau from 1739 to 1763, campaigning against Protestantism. He also acted as coadjutor bishop or administrator of the Bishopric of Trento, from 1748 to 1758. As Prince-Bishop of Passau from 1763 to 1783, he was a more tolerant reforming Catholic. He became Cardinal of S. Pietro in Montorio in 1772. His parents were Baron Franz Alfons Georg von Firmian and Countess Barbara Elisabeth von Thun. Leopold Anton Freiherr von Firmian, archbishop of Salzburg, was his uncle. His younger brother was the Austrian plenipotentiary of Milan, Charles Joseph von Firmian.

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