Kronenthaler
The Kronenthaler was a silver coin first issued in 1755 in the Austrian Netherlands (see Austrian Netherlands Kronenthaler) and which became a popular trade coin in early 19th century Europe.[1] Most examples show the bust of the Austrian ruler on the obverse and three or four crowns on the reverse, hence the name which means "crown thaler" (also Brabanter and crocione (Italian).
History
The kronenthaler was initially issued with the same weight as the French
A deliberate minting of below-standard French écus, however, also resulted in a decreased silver content for the Kronenthaler. The French annexation of the Southern Netherlands in 1794 resulted in the conversion of Kronenthalers and 6-livre écus into new French francs at the rate of 1 franc = 1.0125 livre tournois = 0.16875 écu = 4.5 grams fine silver. This implies a fine silver equivalence of 262⁄3 grams per écu, 255⁄7 grams per kronenthaler, and 911⁄21 or 9.52 grams per gulden.[2]
This reduced-value Belgian gulden doomed the introduction of the 9.61-gram
The situation was resolved in the
The kronenthaler was also the most favorable medium of exchange in Switzerland prior to the adoption of the Swiss franc in 1850. French écus accepted at 4 Swiss livres imply a kronenthaler valuation of 4x27⁄28 livres = 3.86 livres. Instead the écu de Brabant is accepted at a higher rate of 3.9 livres.[6] The rate of conversion to the new Swiss currency was 55⁄7 Swiss francs per kronenthaler.[7]
References
- ^ Clain-Stefanelli (1978). Monnaies européennes et monnaies coloniales américaines entre 1450 et 1789. Smithsonian Institution. p. 213.
- ^ Shaw, William Arthur (1896). "The History of Currency, 1252-1894: Being an Account of the Gold and Silver Moneys and Monetary Standards of Europe and America, Together with an Examination of the Effects of Currency and Exchange Phenomena on Commercial and National Progress and Well-being".
- ^ Shaw, William Arthur (1896). The History of Currency, 1252-1894: Being an Account of the Gold and Silver Moneys and Monetary Standards of Europe and America, Together with an Examination of the Effects of Currency and Exchange Phenonmena on Commercial and National Progress and Well-being. Putnam.
- ^ de:Kronentaler
- ^ Shaw, William Arthur (1896). "The History of Currency, 1252-1894: Being an Account of the Gold and Silver Moneys and Monetary Standards of Europe and America, Together with an Examination of the Effects of Currency and Exchange Phenomena on Commercial and National Progress and Well-being".
- ^ "Livre de poche du Voyageur en Suisse faisant connâitre toutes les curiosités ... De la Suisse d'un partie de la Savoye et de la Valtelline, etc". 1840.
- ^ Suisse, Confédération (1851). Feuille fédérale suisse (in French). Stämpfli.