Fahad al-Anbari has posted on Facebook several images of the silver Maria Theresa thaler, first minted in Austria in 1741. In Yemen, as in many other areas, it became a respected coin of trade, especially for coffee. It would also be melted down to make Yemeni jewelry. For more information on the history of the thaler, click here. There is also an article about the thaler in Aramco World. For an article about the thaler in the Hadramawt, click here. For an article on the life of the Empress Maria Theresa, click here.