bigjarofwasps

Cheers Tom, .900 seems to be the average silver content for most silver coins, minted. Just out of interest are these expensive to collect?

British Trade Dollar B Mint Year 1900With the extension of British trading interest's in the East, especially after the founding of Singapore in1819 and Hong Kong in 1842, it became necessary to produce a special Dollar so as to remove the reliance of a British Colony upon the various foreign coins then in circulation. ThePicture is a Trade Dollar from the reign of Victoria. It is a 1900 B mint.

China Trade, Silver Dollars were a direct result of the Opium Wars (1839-1843, 1856-1860), which began when China tried to stop Britain from selling opium to its citizens. The loser, China, had to open up a number of ports to British trade and residence, and cede Hong Kong to Britain. In the decades that followed, merchants and adventurers flocked to these areas, and international trade flourished. Foreign banks were established, and large silver coins from all over the world began arriving to pay for tea, silk, and Chinese porcelain to be shipped abroad. These .900 fine silver trade dollars were then circulated throughout China, where they were readily accepted as a medium of exchange. The British Trade Dollars, minted exclusively for use in the Far East, depict Britannia standing on shore, holding a trident in one hand and balancing a British shield in the other, with a merchant ship under full sail in the background. On the reverse is an arabesque design with the Chinese symbol for longevity in the center, and the denomination in two languages— Chinese and Malay.

The British Trade Dollar was minted from 1895, with the last being produced in 1935. Those with the mint mark "B" were produced at the Bombay mint; others, marked "C", were struck in Calcutta. The mint mark "C" can be found in the ground between the left foot of Britannia and the base of the shield, while the mint mark "B" is located in the centre prong of the trident. The 1921-B dollar was struck but never released for circulation, and only a limited number of 1934-B and 1935-B coins were released. Certain dates are found with a new date being over-struck on another; these include 1897-B over 1896-B, 1900-B over 1894-B, 1901-B over 1900-B, 1909-B over 1908-B, 1904-B over 1898-B, 1903-B over 1902-B, 1908-B over 1903-B, 1904-B over 1903-B, 1929-B over 1901-B, 1908-B over 1907-B, and 1910-B over 1900-B. The British Trade Dollar was demonetized on August 1, 1937.

Minted in Philadelphia at Saudi Arabia's request, a cargo of three million silver Saudi one-riyal coins was shipped to the oil port of Dhahran, in Saudi Arabia's Eastern Province, late in World War II. But the Liberty ship that was transporting them, the S. S. John Barry, never arrived. Torpedoed by a German U-boat in the Arabian Sea more than 185 kilometers (100 nautical miles) off Oman in August 1944, the John Barry sank in waters so deep that no one thought she could ever be reached.

The United States Trade Dollar is a silver dollar coin that was issued by the United States Mint and minted in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Carson City, and San Francisco from 1873 to 1885. Business strikes ended in 1878. The coin was designed by William Barber, the mint's chief engraver. More trade dollars were minted in San Francisco than Carson City and Philadelphia combined. San Francisco was closest both to the source of the silver as well as the ultimate destination of the coins, China. Many Trade Dollars have what are called "chop marks" on them. The Chinese merchants would stamp the coins as a way to check their authenticity and to add their advertising logo.

The United States Congress authorized the U.S. Mint to create a trade dollar to improve trade with the Orient, China in particular. Prior to that, the Mexican peso had been the primary silver coin used in trading with China. The US trade dollar was minted of 420 grains (27 g) of silver with a fineness of 900 (90 %), about 8 grains (520 mg) more than the domestic silver dollar of the time.

The SS John Barry was a 7200-ton American liberty ship in World War II. The ship left its convoy under radio silence to go on a mission to Dhahran in Saudi Arabia when it was torpedoed 185 kilometres off the coast of Oman by the German submarine U-859 on August 28 1944. Two crewmen were killed in the sinking and the survivors were rescued the next day. The SS John Barry was carrying a cargo of 3 million American-minted Saudi one-riyal silver coins as an American payment associated with ARAMCO. The reason for this shipment (one of several during the war) was that Saudi Arabia did not use paper money at the time and this led to a war time shortage of currency with which to pay workers building new oil refineries and other US facilities at newly founded Dhahran.

Because the exact nature of the cargo was a secret, rumours spread that the SS John Barry carried a vast shipment of 26 million US$ (1944 value) worth of silver bullion to India as well as the smaller cargo of coins. After the recovery effort of this purported treasure failed (see below) it was discovered that all silver shipments to India was accounted for and a new destination for the silver bullion was theorized, the Soviet Union.

The ship had sunk to 8500 feet below the sea surface, far beyond the reaches of most undersea recovery methods. Forty-five years later, however, Skeikh Ahmed Farid al Aulaqi was granted salvage rights. Brian Shoemaker and Jay Fiondella, owner of Chez Jay, a celebrity-renowned seafood dive in Santa Monica, California, decided to raise the money to retrieve the John Barry. Contractors from Houston, Texas were initially involved in the search, and their efforts were later augmented by the Toulon-based Institut Fran?ais de Recherche pour l'Exploitation de la Mer (IFREMER). In October 1994, a modified drilling ship, Flex LD, carrying a 50-ton video-equipped grab designed by IFREMER sailed to the location of the John Barry. By early November, much of the ship had been excavated, revealing vintage US Army trucks, tanks, and military equipment. However, soon after, the first sign of silver was seen (though initially the video feed was clouded by the ship's oil sticking to the camera lens). Over the next five days, the grab brought up 1.3 million Saudi riyals weighing 17 tons and showered them onto the drill-ship's deck. The purported Indian/Soviet silver was nowhere to be found, although the salvagers were unable to access all the locations they suspected the silver might rest. While some plans have surfaced to relaunch the recovery effort, none have come to fruition.

Anyone any idea how much silver is in these thalers?

British Soldiers Killed In Iraq Named

Updated: 17:38, Friday August 10, 2007

Two British soldiers killed by a roadside bomb in Iraq on Thursday have been named.

Lance Sergeant Chris Casey and Lance Corporal Kirk Redpath died in an attack on their patrol, the Ministry of Defence said.

Lance Sergeant Chris Casey and Lance Corporal Kirk RedpathThe men from 1st Battalion Irish Guards died, and another two were seriously injured, when an bomb exploded just after midnight local time.

The soldiers were travelling in a convoy to the north of the Rumaylah oilfields, which is to the west of Basra City.

Sgt Casey's Platoon Commander, Captain Stephen Wolseley, paid tribute.

He said: "It is so difficult to write about Lance Sergeant Chris Casey at this time of great sadness as in my mind he was the most jovial and up-beat person I knew, the one person I could rely on to raise a smile or a laugh from the Platoon at a difficult time; his laugh and banter were totally infectious."

Paying tribute to Cpl Redpath, Captain Tim Rogers said: "Where does one begin when trying to write about a chap who meant so much to so many people?

"Lance Corporal Redpath had the ability to amuse and entertain whilst sticking to his core business of delivering the daily intelligence picture to the Squadron."

Hi TP, well that clears that up, and makes perfect sense to!! But what about his use of DFC after his name is this allowed or not? Seems a bit of a shame if he`s not allowed to use it.

Going slightly for a minute. What would happen say if say Pte Jones of the Austrialian Medical Corps won a British VC, then a few years later won the Austrialian VC, would he have two seperate VC`s or the British one with Aussie bar, or visa versa?

TP, found it!!! I know I`d read it somewhere!!!!!

Medal News November 2005 (Operational Honours List 25, released on the 9th Sept).

Page 8 an article in News & Reviews, its a lengthy article, so I won`t be typing it out here in full, however, I quote...

"Watkins is the first time a DFC has been awarded to an Austrialian, as a foreign award rather than an Imperial award. Watkins will wear his DFC at the end of his medal group along with any other foreign awards, but will not be able to use the post nominal letters"

Medal News is well known for its mistakes, so this maybe duff gen. Just open their Medal Year book, and you`ll find any number of mistakes, in there, but lets no go there right now.

I`d very much like to hear from anyone who can confirm or deny their claim in this article.

TP, have looked threw old soldier mags, can`t find it, so it might well have been in Medal News. I`ll keep looking, but its the priverbial needle in a haystack!!!

Very nice Tim, thanks for sharing it with us.

I`ve not seen one like its kind before, leave it with me I`ll see if I can find anything out about it for you.

Cheers TP, theres some cracking photographs there, did you take them? The Soloman Islands campaign sounds like a very interesting tour to say the least!!!

Going back to the DFC guy, an interesting twist in the tale in the article I read it stated that because he wasn`t a UK national, his DFC would be worn after his Aussie medals, and that he wasn`t allowed to have the post letters DFC after his name. But looking at his photo, he seems to be wearing his DFC ribbon first. I`d be interested to know if the ruling has been changed, and whether he`s since be allowed to use DFC, and or which order his ribbon should be worn. Any ideas? I seem to remember reading the article in Soldier Magazine, I`ll see if I can find it again, and get back to you.

Gordon.

"In the days beyond recall when i was surgeon to the Aden Protectorate Levies in the Western Aden Protectorate(now Yemen) in addition to my usual duties i was goatherd and paymaster. This latter duty consisted in counting out Marie Theresa thalers (MTT)from a wooden or metal box,paying the levy and getting a thumbprint receipt. The boxes wereleft lying about unguarded and uncounted as they were so heavy it took 4 men to lift one. this book gives an excellent account of the life and times of Empress Marie Theresa of Austria and details the history,romance ,intrigue,forgery and jewellery relating to the MTH.The thaler was first minted in 1741 and is still minted to this day.Since 1780 the year of her death all thalers have that date.In aa 4-600 million thalers have been minted in mints mainly in Austria but also in Birmingham and London In its hayday thalers were used all over Arabia and North Africa but isnow used mainly as decoration and jewellery."

"A Silver Legend: The Story of the Maria Theresa Thaler

by Clara Semple 178pp, Barzan Publishing, ?19.95

"At Talh market in northern Yemen, I once watched an old

man pay for a fresh clip of Kalashnikov ammunition with

some weighty silver coins. Neither Yemeni or Saudi riyals,

these reassuringly hefty discs were date-stamped 1780 and

bore the image of a large busty woman on one side, an

impressively feathery eagle on the other. They were silver

dollars of the Austro-Hungarian empire and the woman was

Maria Theresa, empress from 1740 to 1780.

Despite generous offers from the market-trader to sell me

various machine guns, bazookas and even a tank ("only two

days to deliver!"), I bought the money from him instead,

paying a small premium to avoid some obvious forgeries.

Little did I know that in some senses all the coins were

forgeries, and a bright copy made in the sands of Talh the

day before was at least as interesting as my supposed

originals. Those, as Clara Semple points out in her

intriguing book, could easily have been minted in Birmingham

in the 1950s, or Brussels, London, Paris, Bombay, Rome or

Vienna at some time in the previous two centuries - almost

all had that 1780 date. As for rarity, around 400 million

are known to have been issued in that period.

The tale of how this particular coin came to be such a

cornerstone of trade for so long - a true international

currency - starts with the first voyages of discovery,

when merchants found that many remote peoples wanted silver

bullion in exchange for their goods, certainly not English

woollens. And yet verifying silver content is neither simple

or practical: a coin that could be trusted was the answer."

"Once traders began using the coin down the Red Sea,

particularly in the burgeoning coffee trade, they found

demand was insatiable. Not only did the silver content make

them reliably valuable, the handsome currency made excellent

jewellery with the added appeal of being something of a

fertility fetish. On that score, I would have liked a few

words from the various people, mainly women, who are depicted

in the book - the photographs are wonderful - all wearing the

Maria Theresa dollar.

What we do get, however, is some sterling anecdote. When

Barclays Bank opened a branch in Addis Ababa in 1941, the

cashiers were inundated with deposits of the coins, often

retrieved from where the owners had buried them. The process

of counting was so arduous that one teller devised a gas mask

to survive the dust. Travellers found the Maria Theresa both

a curse and a blessing. Wilfred Thesiger, setting out to cross

the Empty Quarter, was forced to take 2,000 coins, a

substantial weight, but the only currency anyone would accept

in the desert."

Book review by The British-Yemeni Society

A Silver Legend: The Story of the Maria Theresa Thaler

by Clara Semple

Barzan Publishing Ltd, 2005. Pp.xii + 165. Illus. Glossary. Bibliog. Index. Hb. ?19.95. ISBN 0-9549701-0-1.

It was a brilliant idea of Clara Semple’s to devote a book to this offbeat but fascinating subject. She was initially inspired to do so by her interest in the jewellery of the Nile Valley in which she was already a recognised expert. But her new subject entailed years of exploration over a much wider area. The result is a splendidly illustrated account of the Maria Theresa dollar (or Thaler) drawn from many sources as well as her own personal studies. Anyone who has lived in North Africa or Arabia should need no introduction to the Thaler which they must often have seen adorning the necks or the coiffure of Arab women, many fine examples being illustrated here.

And what was this remarkable coin? Its origins are as remarkable as any other aspect of the story. Maria Theresa inherited the headship of the Holy Roman Empire on her husband’s death in 1745 after producing for him no less than sixteen children (amongst them the famous figure in France, Marie Antoinette). She also took up in a big way the minting of the imperial coinage. The Thaler (hereinafter the MTD) bore on one side her own handsome head and her generous bust – allegedly the secret of its popularity amongst Arab men, quite apart from its pure silver content. When she finally died in 1780, the MTD went on being produced all over the place for 200 years, unchanged and still dated 1780, and was distributed far and wide, finding its way to markets as remote as Tokyo and Togo.

The main centres of production were latterly Birmingham and Bombay; and during a final decade (l949–6l) the British Royal Mint struck four and a half million MTDs, indistinguishable from the beautifully engraved original.

It will interest English readers of this Journal that during those two centuries all British explorers in Arabia and Africa found that a plentiful stock of MTDs was essential for their progress, if not also for their survival. Amongst the best known were Sir Samuel Baker and his wife on their intrepid search for the source of the Nile in the 1840s, Richard Burton, Rosita Forbes, right through to Bertram Thomas and Wilfred Thesiger.

In Yemen itself it was the great Danish explorer Carsten Niebuhr who first reported to Europe the hoards of MTDs in Sana’a. Yemen had built up its stocks by discovering the value in Europe of coffee, which it was the first to grow in quantity and exchange for MTDs, as did Abyssinia when coffee growing was developed there. We learn that in 1923 some 32,000 MTDs would be needed to buy 100 tons of coffee beans in Addis Ababa.

Semple has dug up dozens of entrancing stories about the MTD, too many to be mentioned here. It was good to be reminded of the problems suffered by Evelyn Waugh, when covering as a journalist the Italian invasion of Abyssinia, in finding the necessary MTDs to buy a railway ticket from Diredawa to Addis.

Glencairn Balfour Paul

TP, so as not to take your Afgan topic to far off its thread. I thought I`d reply here. My ignorance seems to know no bounds, I really had no idea, you guys are & have been so heavily committed. I`d be very interested to know what was happening in the Soloman Islands. It also looks like things in the Sudan aren`t going to well either!!! But going back to Iraq, I seem to remember reading about one of your helicopter pilots winning a DFC, over there in about 2004 I think, maybe you can shine some more light on that one for us.

Lance Sergeant Chris Casey and Lance Corporal Kirk Redpath were killed when an improvised explosive device (IED) detonated next to their patrol west of Basra just after midnight on 9 August.

L/Sgt Casey, 27, from London, and L/Cpl Redpath, 22, from Romford, Essex, were both in the 1st Battalion Irish Guards.

Another two soldiers were seriously injured in the attack, which happened north of the Rumaylah oil fields.

Pardon my ignorance, but I didn`t even know the Aussies were in Afganistan? I know the Canadians are certainly taking looses on par with the UK. How many have the Aussies lost, just out of interest?

Are there any serving in Iraq?

Two British soldiers have been killed in Iraq, the Ministry of Defence said.

The soldiers died when an improvised explosive device (IED) detonated next to their patrol west of Basra, southern Iraq, just after midnight on Thursday.

The next of kin of the two dead soldiers, who were from 1st Battalion the Irish Guards, have been informed.

The deaths come amid concerns over the security situation in the south of the country as responsibility is increasingly transferred from British to Iraqi troops.

British forces have suffered 41 fatalities in Iraq so far in 2007, including four this week, compared to 29 in the whole of 2006.

The latest deaths bring the total number of UK personnel killed while in Iraq to 168.

Another two soldiers were seriously injured in the attack, which happened north of the Rumaylah oil fields.

A serviceman from 1 Squadron RAF Regiment was killed in Basra City on 7 August.

The airman died in a small arms attack which occurred at about 2030 hours local time during an operation in the Karmat Ali district.

A serviceman killed separately in Iraq on Tuesday has been named as Leading Aircraftman Martin Beard, of No 1 Squadron Royal Air Force Regiment.

LAC Beard, 20, was taking part in a routine foot patrol in the Al Waki district north of the British base at Basra air station.

He sustained a gunshot wound when the patrol came under attack as it moved through Al Waki market, and was evacuated by helicopter to the field hospital.

LAC Beard, of Rainworth, Nottinghamshire, leaves a family and a fiancee.

LAC Martin Beard was described as a credit to his regiment

His commanding officer, Sqn Ldr Jason Sutton, said: "Strong, fit and an exceptionally gifted infantryman, he had such a bright future and had already set his sights on selection for special forces.

"I have no doubt whatsoever he would have succeeded in that as he did in all else.

"He was due to marry upon his return from Iraq and we all feel so deeply for his fiancee, Nic."

Defence Secretary Des Browne expressed his condolences to LAC Beard's family, friends and colleagues.

Mr Browne said: "Leading Aircraftman Beard was a very popular and highly promising young man who was a credit to the Royal Air Force Regiment."

Private Craig Barber, of the 2nd Battalion The Royal Welsh, was killed during an operation in the Al Fursi district of Basra on 6 August.

Pte Barber, who was 20 and from Ogmore Vale in Bridgend, was taking part in a night operation when he died.

He was married with a three-year-old son and had recently qualified as a Warrior tank driver.

His company commander, Major Steve Mannings, said: "He was a huge physical presence in his platoon, but was the epitome of the gentle giant."

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/6936826.stm

I know there is a butt load of them out there which tickles me when dealers say "rare".

Would love to do a bill to AMEX "Charon's Ferry Services"

Speaking of coins with holes in them my next favorite coin is the Mexican 8 Reales piece I have one from 1832 with a hole in in and it's been in the family so long no one knows where it came from. I'll dig it out and scan it.

That's another coin to talk about if it hasn't been done. That and the Pillar dollar which I don't have one yet, very pricey now a days.

By all means start threads for the other coins you`ve mentioned. I look forward to seeing the scans.

Heres a link for more info on the Maria Theresa Thaler, which might be of interest..

"The favourite coin in use in this part orf Arabia is the Maria Theresa dollar (riyal), the value of which is affected by the local demand. For the remoter parts of the interior little information is available; but it appears that the there Maria Theresa dollar is current almost everywhere."

–British Admiralty’s Handbook of Arabia 1, 1920 (Aden and Vicinty)

http://www.saudiaramcoworld.com/issue/2003...of.a.thaler.htm

And heres another very good website...

http://www.theresia.name/en/

You hit a soft spot with me and this coin. I bought my first one in 1963 (still have it) and have since acculmilated about a dozen or so. Most are in proof (can you shed a light as to when these were made?) and some rather well circulated ones including one with a hole on the top made to be worn.

When I die I have instructions for one to be buried with me so I can pay Charon the boatman to cross the river Acheron, figure it's such a well known coin he'd accept it instead of an Obolus. .

Hi Coastle, to be honest I don`t really know a great deal about this coin, I just thought with it being such a famous one, there should be a thread on it on the forum.

1963 that was some years before I was born.. But only slighty As regards to where they were minted, from what I can gather, they seem to have been minted just about everywhere, something silly like 399 million of them seem to be in circulation.

I like the sound of the one you have in your collect, with the hole in it, what tales it might be able to tell if it could talk, the mind boggles.

Cool, idea to be buried with one, I`m sure it won`t do any harm, as if the legends are true, I doubt he`ll except American Express, despite what they claim !!!

A Silver Legend: The Story of the Maria Theresa Thaler

Synopsis

In "Flashman On The March", (published 2005) George MacDonald Fraser opens with the words - "Half a million in silver, did you say?" "In Maria Theresa dollars. Worth a hundred thou' in quids." He held up a gleaming coin, broad as a crown, with the old girl double-chinned on one side and the Austrian arms on t'other. "Damn' disinheritin' old bitch, what? Mind, they say she was a plum in her youth, blonde and buxom, just your sort, Flashy..." One of the most successful coins ever made, the Maria Theresa thaler (MTT) circulated for over two centuries and is still minted today, largely for collectors. Many historians consider it to be the first example of a truly international currency, like the US dollar or the Euro. It was used in the early United States, and is still found in souks across the Middle East. When Clara Semple was given a thaler by a Sudanese silversmith in Omdurman market, the heavy coin lying in the palm of her hand pricked her curiosity: "I was tempted to muse on its individual travels and was inspired to embark on this story of a silver legend." About the The Empress: Maria Theresa inherited the Habsburg throne, the first woman to do so, aged 23 in 1740. Admired for her brilliant blue eyes and abundant golden curls, she was astute and formidable, ruling for 40 years over the Empire. A reformer, she laid the foundations of a modern state. Maria Theresa had 16 children, and was known as 'Europe's mother-in-law.' About the Coin: Large silver coins named Joachimsthalers after the silver mines in Bohemia - later abbreviated to thaler, daler or dollar - were first minted in the 16th century. The Maria Theresa thaler was first struck in 1741 and imperial state mints operated throughout Austrian territories. As the coin's importance grew it was also produced in Britain, France, Italy and India. It kept its value as a result of its high silver content, unlike other coins which were adulterated with dubious metal alloys. Its intricate details and fine engraving made it hard to counterfeit. After Maria Theresa's death in 1780 the coin continued to be struck since it was vital for trade. About Colonial Trade and Exploration: Europe's passion for coffee propelled the imperial thaler into the Levant, Arabia, and Africa. With the decay of Ottoman power and the ascendancy of European interests in the Middle East, the MTT filled a need and fast became the most acceptable currency for trade. Thalers circulated throughout the Red Sea region, the Horn of Africa, the Americas and as far east as China. Coveted by colonial officials, merchants, explorers and smugglers alike, they were used to collect taxes or buy slaves, and for ransoms or rewards. Hoarding the treasured silver coins was a widespread practice. Until recently, carrying bags of thalers was essential (albeit risky) for travellers journeying into the interior. Wilfred Thesiger wrote in "Arabian Sands" in 1954 - "Maria Theresa dollars... are the only coins acceptable here; the Arabs call them riyals." About Jewellery and Fashion: Head-dresses with chains of thalers, chokers, necklaces, armbands, bracelets, anklets, rings, belts, brooches to attach to face veils or headscarves... Prized aesthetically for their remarkable lustre, thalers have been used by generations of craftsmen in the creation of traditional jewellery, also serving as a kind of portable bank since nomadic tribes wore their wealth while on the move, and indicating a woman's tribal or regional identity. This unique silver coin was a part of the dowry system; was used as a charm to ward off evil spirits; was believed to contain healing powers, and to aid fertility since Maria Theresa had borne 16 children. To this day, the thaler retains a special place in the making of jewellery and ornaments, and has inspired international couturiers such as John Galliano in their catwalk shows. Clara Semple draws on travellers' diaries, anecdotes from silversmiths and merchants, government papers, consular reports, mint and bank records. She reveals how this cosmopolitan silver coin financed military expeditions, colonial wars, bounty payments, and international diplomatic intrigues. Entertaining and superbly illustrated, "A Silver Legend" is an informative and compelling read. The economist John Maynard Keynes wrote in 1914 - 'The old-established House of Habsburg have turned out for a century and a half, as though it were Rowland's Macassar oil or a Bath Oliver biscuit, a thoroughly sound and reliable article, none genuine without the signature of the now long-sainted Mrs M. Therese'.

Maria Theresa Silver Thaler

The silver taler was the currency of the Empire and of the Austrian hereditary lands. The silver taler was very important for trade with the Levant (parts of Turkey, Lebanon, Syria) and the Maria Theresa Taler became the best known and most popular silver coin in the Arabian world. After the death of the Empress, Joseph II permitted the mint at G?nzburg (today in Bavaria, but at that time Austrian territory) to continue striking with the 1780 dies in order to meet the demand from the Middle East. The 1780 taler was the only silver coin that the Arabs trusted and would accept. Thus began the long minting history of the "Levantine Taler" of the Empress Maria Theresa. Since then the G?nzburg taler has been restruck for trade purposes at Vienna, as well as at mints in Prague, Milan and Venice from time to time. The taler became the unofficial currency of some of the lands in North Africa, and it can still be found today in many Arabian bazaars. This version of the taler became so important that it was restruck even in London, Bombay, Paris and Rome. The "Levantine Taler" lost its status as legal tender in Austria in 1858, but thanks to an imperial edict of 1857 as well as the present laws of the Austrian Republic, the mint at Vienna still produces this famous trade-taler down to the present day.

The thaler is 39.5 mm in diameter and 2.5mm thick, weighs 28.0668 grams and contains 23.3890 grams (0.752 troy ounces) of fine silver. It has a millesimal fineness of .833

MARIA THERESA SILVER THALER 1780 RESTRIKE UNCIRCULATED CONDITION

Details

The thaler

is 39.5 mm in diameter and 2.5mm thick, weighs 28.0668 grams and contains 23.3890 grams (0.752 troy ounces) of fine silver. It has a millesimal fineness of .833

Maria Theresa thaler

Maria Theresa thaler. Mint of Rome.The Maria Theresa thaler (MTT) is a silver bullion coin that has been used in world trade continuously since it was first minted as a thaler in 1741. It was named after Empress Maria Theresa, who ruled Austria, Hungary, and Bohemia from 1740 to 1780.

Since 1780, the coin has always been dated 1780 and has been struck by the following mints: Birmingham, Bombay, Brussels, London, Paris, Rome and Utrecht, in addition to the Habsburg mints in Hall, G?nzburg, Kremnica, Karlsburg, Milan, Prague and Vienna. Between 1751 and 2000, some 389 million were minted. These different mints distinguished their printings by slight alterations to the saltire, or "flower" symbol, which looks like an "X" at the top left of the reverse side of the coin. Since 1946, when the Vienna Mint rescinded the rights of foreign governments to issue such copies, over 49 million have been produced.

It was one of the first coins used in the United States and probably contributed (along with the Spanish eight-bit dollar and the Straits dollar) to the choice of a dollar as the main unit of currency for the United States.

In German-speaking countries, following a spelling reform dated 1901 which took effect two years later, "Thaler" is written "Taler" (although the spelling of "Theresia" was not affected). Hence 20th-century references to this coin in German and Austrian sources are found under "Maria-Theresien-Taler". The spelling in English-speaking countries was not affected.

The inscription on the obverse of this coin is in Latin: "M. THERESIA D. G. R. IMP. HU. BO. REG." The Reverse reads "ARCHID. AVST. DUX BURG. CO. TYR. 1780 X". It is an abbreviation of "Maria Theresia, Dei Gratia Romanorum Imperatrix, Hungariae Bohemiaeque Regina, Archidux Austriae, Dux Burgundiae, Comes Tyrolis. 1780 X", which means, "Maria Theresa, by the grace of God, Empress of the Romans, Queen of Hungary and Bohemia, Archduchess of Austria, Duchess of Burgundy, Countess of Tyrol, died 1780". The "X" is actually a saltire, and indicates that the coin was minted after 1753. Around the rim of the coin is the motto of her reign: "Iustitia et Clementia", meaning "Justice and Clemency".

In Ethiopia

From the reign of Emperor Iyasu II of Ethiopia, the MTT is first recorded as circulated in Ethiopia.[1] According to traveller James Bruce the coin, not debased as other currencies, dominated the areas he visited in 1768. Joseph Kalmer and Ludwig Hyun in the book Abessinien[2] estimate that over 20% of 245 million coins minted until 1931 ended up in Abyssinia. In 1890 the Italians invented the Tallero Eritreo, styled after the M.T.T., and introduced it in their new colony Eritrea, also hoping to impose it on the commerce with Ethiopia. They remained, however, largely unsuccessful. At the early 1900s Menelik II unsuccessfully attempted to mint the new Menilek thalers, with his effigy, but styled following the model of the M.T.T., locally and force their use. The newly established Bank of Abyssinia also issued banknotes denominated in thalers. Starting in 1935 Italians minted the thaler on their own.

The Maria Theresa thaler was also formerly the currency of Muscat and Oman. The coin remains popular in North Africa and the Middle East to this day in its original form: silver coin with a portrait of the buxom Empress on the front and the Habsburg Double Eagle on the back. It is said that the low-cut gown she wears has added to the popularity of the coin.