Holy Roman Empire, Maria Theresia (1740-1780), Taler 1780 (Continued Coinage), Günzburg

From 1751 on, talers showing the bust of the Habsburg empress Maria Theresia were struck in a new weight standard, the so-called 20-gulden standard. Coins in this standard were called convention talers. Through coffee trade, the Maria Theresia taler spread quickly to the Ottoman Empire and Abissinia. The coin was so appreciated in the Orient that its minting continued even after Maria Theresia's death in 1780 whereas the dies dated 1780 were still used after that, making those talers a numismatic curiosity. In Eritrea and Ethiopia, Maria Theresia talers were minted until the mid 20th century – all of them dated 1780. Today, those talers can be seen as necklaces on African women, as jewelry and lucky charms.