Abbeys of Murbach and Lüders, Leopold Wilhelm, Ducat, 1635 (?), Guebwi

Oval, three-part shield with the arms of Austria, the rising dog of the Murbach monastery and the oath hand, all within a baroque cartouche., Saint Leodegard, mitred and nimbed, seated frontally, holding a crozier in his right hand and a drill in his left hand, date in exergue., An exceptional coin, absent from reference works and apparently unique to date! The last digit of the date is not entirely clear, and has been interpreted in previous sales as a 1, but we are leaning more towards a 5, which would give 1635. The coin has a slightly irregular flan and a slightly off-centre strike, as well as a pinch at 8h, also visible on the reverse. Wavy flan. A superb representation of Saint Léodegard, also known as Saint Léger d'Autun, bishop of this town in the 7th century and martyred by having his eyes, lips and tongue torn out. The crosier he holds is a symbol of his role in Autun, while the drill represents his martyrdom. The abbey church of Murbach, which was united with that of Lure in the middle of the 16th century, is dedicated to Saint Leodegard, and was granted the privilege of minting coins in 1544 by Charles V, the Holy Roman Emperor., ✿MON:NO:AVR:ABBAT:MVRB:ET:LVTRE [separator in shape of two small crosses], SANCTVS.LEODEGARIVS✿