1/2 Thaler - Maria Theresia Vienna

These half thalers were struck across a narrow window when Maria Theresia's treasury was under exceptional strain — the Seven Years' War began in 1756, and Viennese mint output was increasingly redirected toward financing the conflict with Prussia. The .833 fineness was itself a deliberate reduction from the fine silver standard, part of a broader Habsburg effort to stretch bullion reserves without visibly debasing the coinage.

Herinek 619–621 distinguishes at least three die varieties within this type, primarily by minor differences in the legend punctuation and armorial quartering detail. Worth checking before cataloging as a single undifferentiated lot.