What coin could this be?
 

I was in my local coin shop the other day and this guy had a pile of 30 or 40 small silver coins. He said that they were Austrian and made for trade in the middle east or something along those lines. I think he also mentioned that they were .900 purity or had .900 ounces of silver in them, but they definitely looked somewhat smaller and thinner than a regular round.

Hoping someone knows what these are and how much they are worth (if anything at all). Thanks

Re: What coin could this be?
 

"Austrian and made for trade in the middle east" sounds like the Maria Theresa thaler, but I think that coin contains less silver than .9 oz.

Re: What coin could this be?
 

like so?------------- it's a Thaler. They are nice historic coins but so many were made that they aren't worth much more than melt.

Re: What coin could this be?
 

Yes, I think thats what they were. You guys are good!

Re: What coin could this be?
 

If you get them at a good price under spot, they arent too bad. They contain 3/4 of an ounce of silver. Plus they are widely recognizable.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maria_Theresa_thaler

Ive found that unscrupulous dealers try to pass them off as bullion and charge full price for them though.

I wouldnt pay more than 8-9 bucks for one.

BTW, Thaler is the original root of the word Dollar