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| Issuer | Austrian Empire |
|---|---|
| Year | 1531-1547 |
| Type | Standard circulation coin |
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|---|---|
| Obverse script | Latin |
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| Reverse description | Imperial double-headed eagle displayed with head turned to the left, bearing an escutcheon on its breast divided between the arms of Castile and Austria, all contained within a double circular border. The legend commencing at twelve o'clock reads INF : HISPA • ARCHIDVX • AVSTRIE • DUX • BVRG +, abbreviating Infans Hispaniae Archidux Austriae Dux Burgundiae, denoting Ferdinand's titles as Infante of Spain, Archduke of Austria, and Duke of Burgundy. The composition reflects the dynastic pretensions of the early Habsburg rulers and the heraldic conventions of sixteenth-century Imperial coinage. |
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| Additional information |
Ferdinand I struck these thalers at Hall in Tyrol — the mint that had pioneered large-silver coinage in the German-speaking world just decades earlier, when Archduke Sigismund issued the first true guldengroschen in 1486. Hall's position on the Inn River gave it reliable access to Tyrolean silver from the Schwaz mines, then among the most productive in Europe. At peak output in the mid-sixteenth century, Schwaz was supplying roughly 85% of Europe's silver.
The sixteen-year span of this issue reflects Ferdinand's consolidation of Habsburg hereditary lands following his brother Charles V's abdication negotiations — a long run that accounts for the considerable die variety documented across Markl's numbering.