The fourth Ducat series of the Czech Mint was created in 2024 and intended primarily for Slovak collectors and investors. The complete set of four gold ducat coins tells the story of Maria Theresa.

At the beginning of the 18th century, the situation in the Habsburg Empire looked bleak. Its head was Charles VI, the last surviving representative of an ancient dynasty, who, with no male heir in sight, was in despair. The longed-for heir to the throne arrived in 1717. What did it matter that a girl was born after all - her father had placed all his hopes for the preservation of the family and the future of the monarchy in her. He may have paved the young monarch's way to the throne by issuing a pragmatic sanction, but he could not have prepared her for what would happen when she sat on it. Power struggles - the so-called Wars of the Austrian Succession - were unleashed and everyone claimed her rightful position or at least part of the indivisible fiefdom. Maria Theresa did not emerge victorious from this conflict, but it hardened her all the more. She surrounded herself with wise advisors and began to reshape her country through unprecedented reforms in education, agriculture, finance, the military and the judiciary. At her side was the Holy Roman Emperor Francis Stephen of Lorraine. Although Maria Theresa wielded real power, the capable consort managed to emerge from her shadow and, with his entrepreneurial skills, saved the treasury from bankruptcy on several occasions. Together, the spouses, who were equal partners, founded the Habsburg-Lorraine dynasty. Thanks to the intricate marriage policy she cultivated, Maria Theresa became the "mother-in-law of Europe". She gave birth to sixteen offspring. Queen Marie Antoinette of France stood out among her daughters. Two of her sons - the progressive but impetuous Joseph II and the diplomatic Leopold II - went on to become enlightened emperors themselves. When Maria Theresa died, she had ruled her empire for forty years. She passed on a modern superpower to her successors and left behind a legacy that her male contemporaries could only dream of:

• A ducat: Wife
• Double-ducat: Ruler
• Five-ducat: Mother
• Ten-ducat: Reformer

On the obverse sides of each mintage you will find a double portrait of Maria Theresa and Francis I, Holy Roman Emperor supplemented with barber's pottery; badges of Maria Theresa's power; a double portrait of Joseph II and Leopold II accompanied by an imperial eagle; symbolic representations of the Theresian reforms - military, medical, economic, judicial, educational and agricultural. The reverse side, which is common to the entire Ducat series, is then dedicated to Maria Theresa herself. All this is the work of the Slovak medallist Branislav Ronai.

The set of ducats is placed in a luxurious wooden etui supplemented with a special certificate of authenticity, which shows the significance of the individual roles of Maria Theresa. The issue run is only 80 sets.