1/2 Thaler Siege coinage

Braunau am Inn fell under Austrian siege in 1743 during the War of the Austrian Succession, when French and Bavarian forces holding the town were cut off from regular supply. Siege coinage was authorized out of necessity — the garrison needed a functioning internal economy, and existing coin stocks were inadequate. The pieces were struck from whatever silver could be gathered locally, which accounts for the weight inconsistencies documented across surviving specimens.

Braunau's siege issues from this campaign are among the more obscure German-speaking siege coinages of the 18th century, overshadowed by better-documented episodes at Mainz and Olmütz.