1780 Silver Maria Theresa Thaler Re-Strike

This large silver coin was first issued in 1780, with re-strikes being issued for use in circulation in various countries for nearly two centuries. The coin was legal tender in many countries in Europe, Africa and the Middle East, and widely served to facilitate trade.

The obverse design features an image of Maria Theresa, who ruled Austria, Hungary and Bohemia from 1740 to 1780, while the reverse depicts the double-headed eagle of the Holy Roman Empire. The coin has a silver fineness of .833 and contains just over three quarters of an ounce of fine silver.

The thaler coin travelled from European ports to trade centres of the Middle East and Africa, where it became a standard for international exchange, particularly in areas that lacked coinage. The empress's original coin was so loved and trusted that many Arab traders wouldn't accept anything other than Maria Theresa's 1780 final edition. So the mints of Austria restruck the same coin year after year, always with the date 1780. Its inscribed edge meant it could not be shaved or clipped to glean bits of silver, unlike the Ottoman medjidiye. As the Ottoman Empire weakened, the thaler helped to secure trade, buy smuggled weapons and bribe officials throughout the Middle East.

Thalers bought coffee and silk in Mocha and slaves in Zanzibar; they supplied British soldiers in Ethiopia, covered costs for Muslim pilgrims to Mecca, and paid ransoms and dowries from Morocco to Kano to Oman. In 1935, Mussolini demanded the dies from Austria to mint coins for his war in Abyssinia. He refused to share his thalers with Britain, so the British minted their own Maria Theresa thalers in London and Bombay.

The name thaler derives from the Joachimsthal, or Valley of St. Joachim, in Habsburg, Bohemia. Rich silver deposits in that region supported the minting of high-quality silver coins, known as Joachimsthaler, or thaler for short. This is the origin of the English word dollar.

• Weight: 3/4 oz of .833 fine silver

Includes:
• 1780 Silver Maria Theresa Thaler Re-Strike

Warranty Information:
This product comes with a 30-day return policy through TSC.