Reichstaler

The ''Reichsthaler'' (; modern spelling Reichstaler), or more specifically the ''Reichsthaler specie'', was a standard thaler silver coin introduced by the Holy Roman Empire in 1566 for use in all German states, minted in various versions for the next 300 years, and containing 25–26 grams fine silver.

''Reichsthaler'' was also the name of a currency unit worth less than the ''Reichsthaler specie'' introduced by several North German states from the 17th century; discussed separately under ''North German thaler''.

Several old books confusingly use the same term ''Reichsthaler'' for the specie silver coin as well as the currency unit. This is disambiguated by referring to the full-valued coin as the '' Reichsthaler specie'' and the lower-valued currency unit as the ''Reichsthaler currency (courant, kurant)''.

History

The ''Reichsthaler'' – literally, the ''dollar of the realm'' – was the most successful standard silver coin resulting from the 1524–1559 ''Reichsmünzordnungen'' or 'imperial minting ordinances' defining a uniform currency standard for the states of the Holy Roman Empire. Below is a history (in terms of grams of silver) of the ''Reichsthaler specie'' and its predecessor, the ''Guldengroschen''; as well as the ''Gulden'' currency unit used before 1618. The history of the lower-valued ''thaler'' currency unit is continued under North German thaler.

Prior to the ''Guldengroschen''

Since the Holy Roman Empire was a loose federation of hundreds of feudal and princely rulers, Germany had a collection of currency systems loosely related to the Frankish Carolingian monetary system with one pound (later Gulden) equal to 20 shillings (later ''Groschen''), and a shilling equal to 12 pennies (''Pfennig''). Many feudal rulers claimed the right to issue their own currency in their own domains, and often debased them in moments of stringency. Developments in the French livre currency system influenced the evolution of the German currencies. The French denier led to the pfennig in the 9th century. France's 1-shilling then became the groschen in the 13th century. Finally, the ounce-sized French livre & Dutch guilder of the 15th century helped define Germany's ounce-sized Guldengroschen and its subdivisions.

The ''Guldengroschen'', 1486–1524

The ''Guldengroschen'' was a large silver coin of approximately 30 grams minted from the mine output of nations located southeast of modern-day Germany. The coin's name denotes its approximate equivalence to the Dutch guilder and French livre parisis of the 15th century, then worth around 1 ounce of silver or 2.6 grams gold. Though initially of varying weights and even facing competition from the ''Joachimsthaler'', it was a coin that succeeded in the era of abundant precious metals in the 16th century, and was a natural choice of unit for a unified German currency.

''Reichsmünzordnung'', 1524–1566

The ''Reichsmünzordnung'' were a series of minting ordinances of the Holy Roman Empire defining the monetary system that would unify the numerous disparate currencies of its member states. The ordinance of 1524 defined two coins of equal value to the Reichsgulden currency.
* The silver guldengroschen, 8 minted from an eight-ounce Cologne Mark (233.856 g) of silver (hence, 1 ounce or 29.232 g per coin) of fineness 15/16 – hence 27.405 g fine silver
* The or florin, which in its final form had a tale of 72 to a Cologne Mark, 18 karats fine - hence 2.5036 g fine gold.
* Both coins were equal to the Reichsgulden, divided into 60 kreuzer, 21 groschen or 21x12=252 pfennig.

This remained an ideal or unimplemented system until the following changes were made in 1555:
* The silver guldengroschen & the gold gulden were raised in value to 1.2 Gulden, 24 groschen, 72 kreuzer or 24x12 = 288 pfennig.
* The Gulden therefore became an (uncoined) accounting or currency unit worth 60 kreuzer or 60x4 = 240 pfennig
* and containing 27.405/1.2 = 22.84 g fine silver or 2.5032/1.2 = 2.086 g fine gold.

''Reichsthaler'' introduction, 1566

The ''Reichsthaler'' turned out to be the most successful coin resulting from the 16th century ''Reichsmünzordnungs''. It was borne out of an ordinance in 1559 discontinuing the 72-kreuzer ''guldengroschen'' and proposing in its place a smaller 60-kreuzer ''gulden'' coin. Popular demand for a replacement to the ounce-sized coin resulted in the ''Reichsthaler'', 1 ounce silver of 8/9 fineness (hence, 9 to a Cologne Mark or 25.984 g fine), and fixed at 68 ''kreuzer''.MAIN p 367: The Reichstag at Augsburg authorised the thaler, 8 to the mark, 14 loth 4 grs. fine = (14+4/18)/16 = 8/9, Mark fine = 9 thaler. p 368, in 1568: Mark fine = 10 florin 43.16 ''kreuzer'' = 10.72 fl, hence ''thaler'' ≈1.19 fl or 72 ''kreuzer''

The new coin was popularly accepted but at a higher value of 72 kreuzer or 1.2 Gulden. It consequently doomed the (now-overvalued) gulden coin. ''Reichsthalers'' prevailed as circulating coin, and the gulden again became an uncoined currency unit equivalent to 25.984/1.2 = 21.653 g fine silver.

This ''Reichsthaler specie'' or coin would continue to be divided into 24 groschen but would rise in value vs currency at 1.5 ''Gulden'' or 90 ''kreuzer'' by 1615.MAIN p 103: thaler = 1 florin 30 kreuzer = 1.5G in 1618 & after Kipper und Wipper 1623 The Dutch adopted it as the '' rijksdaalder'' with 25.40 g fine silver and valued at 2.5 Dutch guilders as of 1618.

''Kipper und Wipper Crisis'', 1618

The Thirty Years' War 1618-48 and the ''Kipper und Wipper'' or 1 ''gulden'', but little is on record with regard to the mint systems until after 1667. They were thus on a ''de facto thaler currency'' unit with some uncertainty in its value versus the ''Reichsthaler specie''. A currency trial done in 1665 indicated a lower prevailing (and unofficial) rate of 14 ''gulden'' or 9 ''thaler'' to a Cologne Mark.

The ''

North German thaler'' currency unit after 1667

The ''Zinnaische'' currency standard of 1667 was the first to define the ''North German thaler, de jure'', as a currency unit worth less than the ''Reichsthaler specie''. The succeeding Leipzig standard of 1690 then became the prevailing ''thaler'' and ''gulden'' currencies throughout the Holy Roman Empire. A summary of the ''thaler'' standards, in brief:MAIN p 386: #2 Zinnaische 1667, #3 Leipzig 1690, Gold std 1741 p388, #5 Convention 1753, #4 Prussian 1840, p382 1857 Vereinsthaler 500g/30=16.7g

* The 1667 ''Zinnaische thaler'' was issued at 10 to a Cologne Mark of fine silver.
* The widely adopted ''Leipzig thaler'' of 1690 was issued at th a ''Reichsthaler specie'', or 12 to a Mark, or 19.488 fine silver.
* From the 1730s the German states unofficially slipped to a gold standard after the gold-silver ratio dropped to 14.5, as states rushed to reissue their currencies in cheaper gold. From 1741 the Friedrich d'or ''pistole'' of approx. 6.0 g fine gold was valued at 5 ''thalers'', making each thaler worth about 1.2 g gold or 1.2 x14.5 = 17.4 g silver.
* From 1754 many North German states implemented the Austrian Conventions standard with the thaler issued at a Conventionsthaler, or 13 to a Mark, or 17.5392 g fine silver.
* From 1840 many North German states adopted the Prussian thaler standard of 14 to a Mark, or 16.704 g fine silver. This standard was slightly modified in 1857 as the ''Vereinsthaler'' of 16 g fine silver.

All North German thalers and ''Vereinsthalers'' were retired after 1873 in favor of the German gold mark, with each mark containing gram of fine gold, at the rate of 1 thaler = 3 marks, or a gold ratio of 15.5.

The ''Reichsthaler'' in other currency systems

The ''Reichsthaler specie'' was widely issued in Germany for 200 years but was discontinued in many states after 1754 in favor of the lighter ''Conventionsthaler'' of th a Cologne Mark or 23.3856 g fine silver. However it survived both as coin and bank money in several Northern European states until they adopted the gold standard in 1875.

In 1583 the ''Dutch rijksdaalder'' coin of 25.40 g fine silver was the counterpart of the reichsthaler in the Dutch Republic. From 1608 to 1659 it then functioned as bank money of the Bank of Amsterdam (''Amsterdam Wisselbank''), worth 2.5 gulden banco and representing 25.40 g fine silver actually received. From 1659 to 1800 the bank money was redefined as the ''Silver Dukat'' of 24.36 g fine silver worth 2.4 gulden banco, which was also subsequently named (confusingly) as the ''rijksdaalder''.

In 1618 the full-weight Reichsthaler Specie coin of 25.984 g fine silver was the bank money of the ''Hamburger Bank'' worth 3 Hamburg mark banco. Its weight was redefined after 1770 at 9 to a Cologne Mark of fine silver, or 25.28 g, and it was continued to be used until German reunification in 1871.

The ''Rigsdaler'' served as the currency in Denmark and Norway until 1875, with the higher-valued ''Rigsdaler Specie'' (25.28 g fine silver) also coexisting with lower-valued ''Rigsdaler currency'' or ''courant''; see Danish rigsdaler & Norwegian rigsdaler. In Sweden, the ''Riksdaler Specie'' of 25.50 g fine silver also coexisted with other ''riksdaler'' in copper or lower-valued currency; see Swedish riksdaler.

References

{{Thaler

Currencies of Germany
Modern obsolete currencies
Early Modern currencies
1566 establishments in the Holy Roman Empire
Coins of the Holy Roman Empire
Thaler