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Bavarian Mayor Medals

Until the end of the 18th century, silver and gold chains with pendants and medals, some of which were attached to them, were merely status symbols for officials and dignitaries, but not insignia. This was to change with the French Revolution from 1789: the proclaimed end of the estates-based society also made it necessary in Bavaria to provide new service marks for officials. In the early 19th century, Bavaria, along with Prussia, was one of the forerunners in the introduction of these new mayor medals, which were unified throughout the entire territory. Thus the still young Kingdom of Bavaria, proclaimed on 1 January 1806, was formed from a multitude of partly heterogeneous territories. Accordingly, it was seen as necessary to provide the newly acquired communes, but also the previous cities and communes that co-constituted the old electorate, with prestigious insignia.

The respective affiliation to the new Bavarian state could be effectively demonstrated to the outside world in this way. As a result, the mayor medals were worn visibly on the chain of office. From 1806 to 1918, the fronts of the mayor medals show the portrait of the reigning Bavarian king, while the backs of the medals bear the respective municipal coat of arms; a five-tower mural crown is added to the cities. As an alternative to the coat of arms, especially with pieces embossed under Ludwig III. (1913-1918), the name of the municipality is simply engraved on the lapel of the medal.

With the end of the monarchy in Bavaria on 7 November 1918, the portrait of the king was replaced by the coat of arms of the newly founded Free State of Bavaria. The mayor medals in the Weimar Republic continued to be minted by the Hauptmünzamt in Munich. However, after 1930 the procurement of service badges was no longer an obligation but was left to the discretion of the municipalities. The mayor's medals already gradually changed into medal-shaped pieces of jewellery at this time and therefore lost their uniform appearance, especially after the Second World War. The Staatliche Münzsammlung München (State Coin Collection Munich) has a comprehensive collection of Bavarian mayor medals, including many off-metal strikes made from reverse stamps by the Hauptmünzamt in Munich in the 19th century. The original obverse with the monarch's portrait remains empty in these pieces.

The other part collections of the "Coins, medals and coin-like objects from Bavaria, Franconia, Swabia and the Palatinate in modern times" available on bavarikon

>> This collection is part of the holdings of "Coins, medals and coin-like objects from Bavaria, Franconia, Swabia and the Palatinate in modern times" of the Staatliche Münzsammlung München (State Coin Collection Munich).