Thaler - Francis I of Lorraine, as co-ruler without X

Francis I became Holy Roman Emperor in 1745, but his role in Habsburg coinage was complicated from the start — Maria Theresa held the hereditary lands, and Francis's co-ruler status on Austrian issues was more constitutional formality than political reality. This particular thaler type omits the regnal numeral "I" after his name, an engraver's decision or die-state anomaly that Herinek catalogues separately under two entries depending on minor reverse differences. The distinction matters to specialists; the "without X" designation refers specifically to the absence of a cross or stop element in the legend, not the numeral.