How did a 'mining thaler' coin get its name?

Answer 1

English Crowns were one ounce of sterling silver and this coin became an international standard replicated by many various mints. However English coins had silver that was not as pure as the German and Austro-Hungarian coins. Rather than adding cheap metals to their coins to make them the same size as English Crowns, the coins were minted with an equivalent amount of silver but weighing less than the crowns, usually about 24 grams total weight.

These became known as thalers or talers from the Scandinavian word "dalar". They were originally intended for international trade but became local currency over time. They were also used as bullion, sometimes large blocks of silver would have a thalar stamp on them to ensure the purity of the silver.

Mining thalers were issued by city-states that mined and refined silver. They would feature images related to silver mining. They were not different in purity nor size than other thalers and were equivalent value. Although these mints were very prolific many mining thalers would be later melted down and re-minted as different denomination coins or thalers with different mint markings.