The letters of the inscription of 'IVSTITIA ET CLEMENTIA' that features on all thaler coins are thicker and the word 'IVSTITIA' is 3mm shorter than usual.In 1741 the first MTT was struck according to the Reichsthaler standard with 1/9 of a Cologne mark of fine silver, or 25.98 grams. Luckily, the British dies were recut in 1953, but it's still possible to pick out these coins. Seeing as London's dies had also been used for the thalers struck in both Birmingham and Bombay, these coins also bear the mistake. Its dies missed out the central feather of the Imperial Eagle that featured on the coin's reverse. Ten million were made and each was greeted with disapproval from many – it's thought that the Arabs of Yemen were so used to the design of the thaler that they'd reject the coin if they couldn't feel each of the nine pearls with their thumb. It might be an interesting discrepancy to us today, but it was rather an issue at the time. In Brussels, the engraver that produced the dies missed out one of the nine pearls on Maria Theresa’s brooch. Namely, those struck in London and Brussels from dies made before the war. But you might notice that not all Maria Theresa thalers are the same.ĭespite the fact that most of these coins are identical, some aren’t. This infamous thaler is arguably one of the most beautiful coins ever produced and well worth adding to your collection. Brussels also produced another 11 million before they stopped issuing the coin in 1957. Millions were issued from Birmingham, and even more from London, where striking continued until 1961. The Royal Mint in London found itself unable to keep up with demand, so the dies were sent to the Birmingham Mint to produce for the year. Britain had lost India as a colony, meaning the obverse needed to be redesigned to remove ‘IND EMP’ (Emperor of India) from King George VI’s title. Over 6 million were struck over the next two years. In 1947, London’s dies, which had been returned from Bombay, were put back to work as the orders for Maria Theresa thalers came back in. London struck over 15 million between 19.Paris struck over 4.5 million between 19.Bombay struck 18 million over two years.This time saw a huge level of production of Maria Theresa Thalers: Even during World War II, with the German blockade of British ports, production continued as London sent its dies to Bombay. In retaliation, the Royal Mint in London and the Paris Mint resorted to producing their own Maria Theresa thalers in 1936, followed by Brussels in 1937, each without asking Austria’s permission. Many other countries weren’t too happy about the situation and decided to act. In 1938, he withdrew the circulation of the thaler from Abyssinia.ĭue to Mussolini’s efforts, Italy now held a monopoly on the coin. It didn’t end particularly well for him, however, as Abyssinia put up a good fight and refused to be conquered. With the nod from Hitler that Italy was allowed to produce the coin for itself and Austria would limit its own production, Mussolini started to put his plan into action. He believed that if he had enough Maria Theresa thalers, he could build an economic relationship with Abyssinia once invaded. In 1935, Mussolini, prime minister of Italy at the time, decided to invade Abyssinia. The thaler was one of a select few European coins that was known and respected across much of Africa, which is why, 50 years after Maria’s death, the Maria Theresa thaler became a central part of Mussolini’s plan of attack on Abyssinia (now known as Ethiopia). But the coin became widely used for trade and its creation and influence has since travelled much further than the bounds of its homeland. The Maria Theresa Thaler was originally issued in Austria between 17, the years that Maria ruled over the country, and was the currency of the Austrian Empire. When she died in 1780, however, she likely had no idea that her coin would be struck for many, many years to come. The only female ruler in the House of Habsburg, she became the Archduchess of Austria and the Queen of Hungary and Bohemia at the age of 23.Ī woman that boasted a mixture of power and beauty, Maria was painted often and it's her profile that adorns the Maria Theresa thaler. Maria Theresa, a name that’s now well known throughout the world of numismatics, was born in 1717.
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