Mintage of Maria Theresa

M.Terezie, 1717-1780, was a modern woman for her time. For example, she had all her children vaccinated against smallpox. She was the first monarch in the world who, after consulting with doctors, decided to do something like that.

(Well, to be precise. Vaccination did not exist then. She had her children varioled. This means that she let them become infected with a weakened form of true human pox. It was many times more dangerous than vaccination, i.e. infecting children with cowpox.) And now really about the coins.

M.Theresia Dei Gratiae Romana Imperatrix Hungariae Bohemiae Gegina
A.S.

Archiducissa Austriae Ducissa Burgundiae Comitissa Tyroliae 1700 x (burgundy cross)
Can you speak Latin? I just a little. I studied it for four years. It is written here: Maria Theresa, Roman Empress by the grace of God, Queen of Hungary and Bohemia, Grand Duchess of Austria, Duchess of Burgundy, Countess of Tyrol.

M.Terezia was a modern woman, but she inherited a medieval empire with a medieval coinage.

The Empress lost and gained territories that sometimes formed only a personal union, other times were a little more centralized. Every loss and gain meant a change in the titles, thus also the text on the coin.

Coins of a higher denomination than 30 krejcars bore this great Habsburg´s emblem. Still, it was clear where the coin was minted. The letters A.S. That means Ludwig Aschpacher, mint master at the Hall mint.

Smaller coins, here twenty-kreutzers, vary even more.

The she-eagle was the symbol of the House of Habsburg. The she-eagle has symbols of individual countries on her chest. Transylvania, Austria, Bohemia, Hungary in order. (An eagle has one head, a sh-eagle has two heads.)

A complete collection of coins of M. Theresa should include all countries, all denominations, all types according to copies and the image of the empress, all mints, all mint masters. It is impossible.

Collecting M.Theresia coins is great fun though.