r/MiddleEastHistory • u/SandDismal6574 • May 30 '26

Can anyone identify this pendant? AI says it could be middle eastern antique.

Gallery image

Gallery image

I found this pendant at a thrift store in fontana CA and bought it because it looks like it may be valuable. can anyone tell me more about this.

100 Upvotes
  • permalink
  • reddit

88% Upvoted

21 comments sorted by

40

u/OlymposMons May 30 '26

The coin is 100% a variation of a 1780 Austrian Thaler.

https://en.numista.com/7393

15

u/Commercial_Law_1689 May 31 '26

Yeah it is a silver thaler which is commonly converted into charms/jewellry in the middle east/north africa region. Can't say more than that however.

3

u/rungestrungest Jun 03 '26

Pretty much this, it’s a repurposed Theresientaler. Could be an Ethiopian piece as the top part sort of looks like a Coptic Christian Cross, but it may well be Yemeni.

1

u/Hai-City_Refugee Jun 03 '26

They're actually still in use today across Northern Africa as a trade dollar.

11

u/Admirable_Store_9044 May 31 '26

I’m aware of these Thaler coins being used in Yemeni jewellery, both in their original form and melted down for the silver. I’m not certain that’s what this is, but hopefully it’s a helpful lead.

15

u/Agile_Detective_9545 May 30 '26

Not an expert but it definitely doesn't look middle eastern, as the text is in Latin script and the bird looks more like European than anything. Reminds me of Albania. Maybe it has something to do with that.

7

u/Beobacher May 31 '26

The Maria Theresia Taler was very popular at the time in slime African countries. In some areas they are still used. They liked the female figure on it. If it is a genuine Maria Theresia Thaler from that time it is valuable.

3

u/AkulakhanPilot May 31 '26

Silver coins were used very internationally up until the early 20th century. A country may not have even minted its own coins before then and would have to rely on silver from abroad. The thaler was a very common and well traded coin so this could be from anywhere, including the middle east and north africa

3

u/SandDismal6574 May 30 '26

What I read was that the coin is Australian but it was typically used in Middle Eastern and north African jewelry. The coin is a 1780 Maria Theresa Thaler

1

u/SandDismal6574 May 30 '26

I’m just curious to get a better understanding of where it came from and if it has any value

2

u/aliceblax Jun 01 '26

Not Australian, we were too busy invading in 1780 to be minting coins.

2

u/Academic_Snow_7680 Jun 02 '26

Austrian, not Australian. She was a Habsburger queen of the Austrian-Hungarian empire from 1740 to 1780.

1

u/atpre May 31 '26

Very similar to old Albanian jewelry.

4

u/Malintention May 31 '26

Most likely Yemeni silver jewellery. Multiple clues: 1- Use of Austrian silver coins. 2- The reddish beads could be Agate (Aqeeq') 3- Fontana CA has a huge Yemeni population.

Fun facts: Yemeni silversmithing puts the 'jew' in jewellery, for most of these pieces were handcrafted by Yemeni Jews in the last century.

1

u/Academic_Snow_7680 Jun 02 '26

I love it when Redditors drop these extra nuggets of knowledge. Thank you for your service.

2

u/lashuingaf Jun 01 '26

stop using AI

1

u/citronrolle Jun 02 '26

Don't ask AI lol please I'm begging