Joachimsthaler Silver Coin

Timeline

1. 1518–1520Joachimsthal · JoachimsthalThe silver mines of Joachimsthal, Bohemia (now Jáchymov, Czech Republic), were operated by the Schlick family; from around 1518 they minted the Joachimsthaler, named after the place, from local silver, weighing about 25–30 grams, convenient for large cross-border settlements.
2. 1531–1540Central and Western Europe · Western EuropeMints everywhere imitated the Thaler-standard silver coin, the name being shortened to Taler/Thaler; in the 1530s it became the standard silver coin unit for bulk trade and tax payments in Germany and the Low Countries.
3. 1566–1800Holy Roman Empire and Europe · Holy Roman EmpireThe Thaler became the large silver coin standard long used by the Holy Roman Empire and many northern European states; its name spread even further as the etymological source of currencies such as the English dollar (US dollar) (the Dutch guilder Gulden, however, derives from the name for a 'gold' coin and is unrelated to the Thaler).