moira zoitl.

The Maria Theresa thaler (MTT) is a silver bullion coin that has been used in world trade continuously since they were first minted in 1741. The thaler shows a portrait of the mature Empress Maria Theresa wearing a widow’s veil. The MTT quickly became a standard trade coin and several nations began striking Maria Theresa thalers, at cities like: Bombay, London, Paris, and Rome, in addition to the Habsburg mints in Günzburg, Hall, Karlsburg, Kremnica, Milan, Prague and Vienna. Throughout the 19thcentury the MTT came to be used as currency in large parts of Africa until after World War II. It was common from North Africa to Somalia, Ethiopia, Kenya, and down the coast of Tanzania to Mozambique. Its popularity in the Red Sea region was such that merchants would not accept any other type of currency. Hence the history of the thaler is closely linked to the colonial monetary policy of Italy in eastern Africa.