Research and stories
The story of the taler
Historical context and collecting knowledge for understanding the coins, rulers and mints represented in Taler Universe.
5 articles · 16 recommended readings
Background to the taler
How European trade, warfare and the supply of precious metal created the need for a dependable large silver coin.
Read the articleThe guldiner
Sigismund of Tyrol and the coin that established the form, weight and ambition of the later taler.
ReadThe Joachimstaler
The rich silver of Joachimsthal gave the coin its enduring name and helped spread it across Europe.
ReadThe taler's global expansion
From the Dutch daalder to the dollar, the taler's influence traveled far beyond the Holy Roman Empire.
ReadHistoric minting techniques
Dies, presses, planchets and the skilled hands that turned silver into imperial portraiture.
ReadBeyond this site
Further reading
Recommended articles and resources from numismatic writers and historians.
The World of The Habsburgs
A dedicated site covering Habsburg history in depth.
coinsweekly.comWhat is Left of the Man who Invented the Taler
Ursula Kampmann on the origins of the taler.
coinsweekly.comWhy Sigismund ‘Rich in Coin’ Died a Destitute Man
Ursula Kampmann on Archduke Sigismund of Austria.
coinsweekly.comThe Coin Cabinet in Schloss Eggenberg
Ursula Kampmann visits the Eggenberg collection.
coinsweekly.comThe House of Hohenems and his Bishops
Ursula Kampmann's three-part history, part one.
coinsweekly.comImages from a Minting Workshop of the 16th Century
A look inside a Renaissance-era mint.
coinsweekly.comA Trip to Hall in Tyrol
Ursula Kampmann visits the historic mint town.
coinsweekly.comThe Counts of Montfort and their Coinage
Joachim Stollhoff on a noble minting house.
coinsweekly.comBetween Prussia and Austria – The Vienna Coinage Contract
The 18th-century agreement that reshaped German coinage.
coinsweekly.comAt the Height of the Thirty Years’ War
Coinage amid Europe's most devastating conflict.
coinsweekly.comThe House of Hohenems and his Bishops – Part 2
Ursula Kampmann's series continues.
coinsweekly.comThe House of Hohenems and his Bishops – Part 3
The concluding part of the series.
muzeydeneg.ruCoining Technology — Machine Mintage of Testons and Thalers
The mechanics behind large-format silver coinage.
coinsweekly.comThe Order of the Golden Fleece
Ursula Kampmann on the Habsburgs' chivalric order.
coinsweekly.comInnovations in the Land of Silver
A congress in Hall/Tyrol, by Ursula Kampmann.
atlasobscura.comHapsburg Imperial Crypt
Atlas Obscura on the Habsburgs' final resting place.