1 Conventionsthaler - Maximilian III Joseph

Maximilian III Joseph inherited Bavaria in 1745 buried under the catastrophic debts accumulated by his father Karl Albrecht's disastrous bid for the imperial throne — a campaign that left the electorate occupied by Austrian troops and financially gutted. The Convention thaler series beginning in 1753 was a direct consequence of the Münzkonvention signed that year between Bavaria and Austria, standardizing the silver thaler at 10 to the Cologne mark and forcing smaller German states into monetary alignment with Vienna whether they welcomed it or not.

Bavaria's adoption was not entirely voluntary. Maximilian III had little leverage to resist.