Watch List notes:

HUNGARY. Austria-Hungary - Slovakia. Maria Theresia/Mining Academy Bronze Medal, 1870. GEM UNCIRCULATED.
Hauser-1645; Serfas-305; Montenuovo-Unlisted; Wurzbach-6044; Preussag Coll. II-1631. Diameter: 69mm; Weight: 107.39 gms. By C. Radnitzky. Commemorating the 100th anniversary of the academy in Banská Štiavnica. Obverse: A - MARIA - THERESIA - HUNG : REGE - METALLICORUM - ACADEMIA, diademed, veiled, and draped bust of Maria Theresia right between wreath of palm frond and laurel branch; Reverse: SCHEMNICII - CONDITA - 1770 - PRIMUM - SECULUM - CELEBRAT - , Hungaria seated facing on throne, holding miner's lamp and open mineralogy book; countryside with factories and mines in background; in exergue, coat-of-arms with dwarven supporters. Edge: Plain. Glossy chocolate brown surfaces, with an intense degree of radiating luster; a few light spots on the obverse are noted for completeness.

A town tied to mining since antiquity, Banská Štiavnica was mentioned by Roman authors for her silver ore mined there by the Celts, and was the main producer of silver and gold for the Kingdom of Hungary during the Middle Ages. In 1627, it became one of the first places where gunpowder was used for blasting. This medal commemorates the centennial of an academy established there in 1770 in the field of mineralogy.

Estimate: $100 - $200