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Reichsthaler
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<p>The <i>Reichsthaler</i> (German: [ˈʁaɪçsˌtaːlɐ]; modern spelling Reichstaler), or more specifically the <i>Reichsthaler specie</i>, was a standard <a href="/facts/Thaler/P3gMaECK">thaler</a> silver coin introduced by the <a href="/facts/Holy_Roman_Empire/6mdobnXN">Holy Roman Empire</a> in 1566 for use in all German states, minted in various versions for the next 300 years, and containing 25–26 grams fine silver. </p><p><i><a href="/facts/North_German_thaler/MMx3dE1l">Reichsthaler</a></i> was also the name of a currency unit worth less than the <i>Reichsthaler specie</i> introduced by several North German states from the 17th century; discussed separately under <i><a href="/facts/North_German_thaler/MMx3dE1l">North German thaler</a></i>. </p><p>Several old books confusingly use the same term <i>Reichsthaler</i> for the <a href="/facts/Speciesthaler/sRKpHBHF">specie silver coin</a> as well as the currency unit. This is disambiguated by referring to the full-valued coin as the <i><a href="/facts/Speciesthaler/sRKpHBHF">Reichsthaler specie</a></i> and the lower-valued currency unit as the <i>Reichsthaler currency (courant, kurant)</i>. </p>