Hungary Maria Theresia (1740-1780) 1 Poltura Coin

The former Hungarian town of Szomolnok, located in today's Slovakia, became famous for its copper mines in the 1700s and became the center of copper mining in Hungary. At the same time, during the reign of Mária Theresa, for economic reasons, lower denomination copper coins (small denomination krajcárs and polturas) had to be put into circulation. For this reason or taking logistical aspects into account, a mint was established in the settlement in the middle of the century (in 1757), where these coins were mainly minted. the coins brought were marked with the S mint mark, which can also be found on the 1763 copper poltura. The letters P-H shown in the upper part of the Madonna page come from the Latin phrase Patrona Hungariae, i.e. they can also be translated as the Patron of Hungary, the Great Lady of Hungary, or the Patron Saint of Hungary. This term refers to the old Hungarian tradition that the Virgin Mary was considered the patron saint of Hungary. The letters K-M refer to the conventional monetary system at the time, the introduction of which was an important element of Maria Theresa's reforms. The aim of the reform was to strengthen the economy and military power of the Habsburg Empire.