The Reichsthaler (German: [ˈʁaɪçsˌtaːlɐ]; 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).
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