The St. Veit Guldiner of 1518 belongs to one of the earliest series of large silver coins struck in the German-speaking world, predating the Joachimsthaler issues that would eventually give the dollar its name. Maximilian I commissioned these heavy silver pieces partly as prestige objects — diplomatic gifts and display coins as much as trade currency — drawing on the rich silver output of the Tyrolean mines he had consolidated under Habsburg control decades earlier.
Maximilian died in January 1519, making 1518 among the final dated issues of his reign.
The St. Veit Guldiner of 1518 belongs to one of the earliest series of large silver coins struck in the German-speaking world, predating the Joachimsthaler issues that would eventually give the dollar its name. Maximilian I commissioned these heavy silver pieces partly as prestige objects — diplomatic gifts and display coins as much as trade currency — drawing on the rich silver output of the Tyrolean mines he had consolidated under Habsburg control decades earlier.
Maximilian died in January 1519, making 1518 among the final dated issues of his reign.