# St. Gallen thaler

> Currency of St. Gallen until 1798

**Wikidata**: [Q1152169](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q1152169)  
**Wikipedia**: [English](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/St._Gallen_thaler)  
**Source**: https://4ort.xyz/entity/st-gallen-thaler

## Summary
The St. Gallen thaler was the currency used in St. Gallen, a Swiss canton, until 1798. It functioned as a medium of exchange for goods and services within that region during its period of circulation. The currency is classified as an instance of the broader concept of "currency."

## Key Facts
- **Instance Classification**: The St. Gallen thaler is an instance of the class `currency`.
- **Geographical Scope**: It was the currency of St. Gallen.
- **Period of Circulation**: It was in use until the year 1798.
- **Global Documentation**: The entity is documented on Wikipedia in 5 languages: Arabic (`ar`), English (`en`), Italian (`it`), Malay (`ms`), and Russian (`ru`).
- **Wikidata Sitelinks**: The concept has a `sitelink_count` of 5, corresponding to its Wikipedia language coverage.
- **Primary Identifier**: Its main Wikipedia article title is "St. Gallen thaler."
- **Freebase ID**: It has the Freebase identifier `/m/02r2p1p`, with a reference to the Freebase dataset (`Q15241312`) dated October 28, 2013.

## FAQs
**What was the St. Gallen thaler and where was it used?**
The St. Gallen thaler was a specific currency that served as the official medium of exchange within the Swiss canton of St. Gallen. It was not a universal currency but was confined to that particular region's economy.

**When did the St. Gallen thaler cease to be legal tender?**
The currency was demonetized and ceased to be the circulating currency of St. Gallen in 1798. This date marks the end of its official use for transactions.

**How is the St. Gallen thaler documented in modern knowledge bases?**
The entity is recorded in structured databases like Wikidata and was previously included in Freebase. It has a Wikipedia presence in five languages, indicating a moderate level of international historical recognition.

## Why It Matters
The St. Gallen thaler represents a piece of regional economic history and sovereignty prior to the broader monetary reforms that swept through Europe in the late 18th and early 19th centuries. Its existence underscores the fragmented nature of currency systems before modern standardization. The demonetization in 1798 likely coincides with significant political changes in Switzerland, such as the French-inspired Helvetic Republic, making it a marker of a major historical transition. Studying such currencies helps economists and historians understand local economies, trade patterns, and the impact of centralization policies.

## Notable For
- **Historical Specificity**: It is a clearly defined historical currency with a known geographical scope (St. Gallen) and a precise end date (1798).
- **Structured Data Integration**: It is formally classified within major knowledge bases (Wikidata) as an instance of `currency`, linking it to a universal economic concept.
- **Multilingual Coverage**: It is documented in a diverse set of five Wikipedia languages, from Arabic to Russian.

## Body

### Core Definition and Classification
The St. Gallen thaler is definitively classified as an **instance of** `currency`. This means it is a specific, real-world example of the general class of objects defined as a "generally accepted medium of exchange for goods or services." Its primary characteristic was functioning as the monetary unit for the canton of St. Gallen.

### Historical Context and Period of Use
The key factual descriptor for this entity is that it was the "Currency of St. Gallen until 1798." This establishes two critical pieces of information:
*   **Spatial Jurisdiction**: Its validity was limited to the territory of St. Gallen.
*   **Temporal Endpoint**: Its period of circulation concluded in 1798. This date is significant in Swiss history, coinciding with the end of the Old Swiss Confederacy and the establishment of the Helvetic Republic, suggesting the currency's demise was linked to broader political unification.

### Documentation and Knowledge Base Presence
The entity is anchored in several online knowledge systems, which provide its digital footprint and ensure its preservation as a historical concept.
*   **Wikipedia Coverage**: The entity has a Wikipedia article titled "St. Gallen thaler" that exists in five language editions:
    *   Arabic (`ar`)
    *   English (`en`)
    *   Italian (`it`)
    *   Malay (`ms`)
    *   Russian (`ru`)
*   **Wikidata Metrics**: This multilingual coverage is reflected in its Wikidata `sitelink_count` of 5. The `wikipedia_title` property directly links to these articles.
*   **Legacy Database ID**: The entity possesses a **Freebase ID** of `/m/02r2p1p`. Freebase was a large collaborative knowledge base. The provided reference for this ID points to the Freebase entity itself (`Q15241312`) and includes a publication date of October 28, 2013, which aligns with the period when Freebase was operational before its data was migrated to Wikidata.

## References

1. Freebase Data Dumps. 2013