The first coins of Federal Republic of Germany were minted in 1948-49. It had the inscription "Bank of the German States" (Bank Deutscher Lander) instead of the country's name.
Germany: interesting facts about coins
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After the Free City of Danzig was incorporated into the Third Reich in September 1939, the Danzig guilder (or rather, the coins of 1, 2, 5, and 10 pfennigs) continued to circulate until November 1, 1940, at a rate of 1 to 1. This meant that 1 Danzig pfennig was equivalent to 1 Reichspfennig and was recognized as legal tender throughout Germany. Coins worth 1/2 guilder or more were withdrawn from circulation at a rate of 1 guilder = 70 Reichspfennigs.
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During the occupation of Belgium by Nazi Germany, the Belgian franc continued to circulate in the kingdom. It was pegged to the German Reichsmark at a rate of 1 franc per 8 Reichspfennigs.
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When the 3-mark coin was introduced in the Weimar Republic in 1922, it had no purchasing power due to rapid hyperinflation, as 1 kg of bread cost 130 marks at the time of its introduction.
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The Weimar Republic fell victim to the Great Depression, which began in 1929 and led to widespread poverty and, ultimately, the rise of Hitler to power. However, during the final years of the democratic state, the country's leadership, represented by Chancellor Heinrich Brüning (1930-1932), made attempts (albeit unsuccessful) to alleviate the economic situation of the population. One of these attempts was the decree of December 8, 1931, which introduced a 4-pfennig coin. The intention was to replace the 5-pfennig coin with the new 4-pfennig coin, which would result in a 1-pfennig reduction in prices for every 5 pfennigs. This would provide a 20% savings for the population. The new coin was introduced in early 1932.
In order to speed up the distribution of the new coins, it was ordered that they be used to pay a portion of the salary of at least 2 marks per month (meaning that every working German was required to receive 50 of these coins each month). However, the population did not appreciate this "care," and the coins were reluctantly accepted, even earning numerous derogatory nicknames such as "Bruning Thaler," "Bruning Pfennig," "Poor Heinrich," "Brunette," and others. One of the Berlin newspapers even held a contest for the funniest names. The fate of this coin was sad - it circulated for a little over a year and on October 1, 1933, it was withdrawn from circulation.
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After the incorporation of Bohemia into the Third Reich in 1939 (as the Protectorate of Bohemia and Moravia), the Protectorate crown was introduced. It had a fixed exchange rate with the German Reichsmark: 1 crown = 10 Reichspfennigs.
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During the period of 1842-1848, the Prussian thaler was the legal currency of the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg.
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One of the reasons for the introduction of the 20 pfennig coin in the GDR (German Democratic Republic) in 1969 was the problem with street payphones. The conversation cost 20 pfennigs, but the aluminum coins used for payment, which were worth 1.5 m 10 pfennigs, were too light and often got stuck. Therefore, it was decided to introduce a "heavy" brass coin worth 20 pfennigs, which would be guaranteed to fall into the depths of the payphone.
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Iron coins have a specific smell. This is true, but it's also not true. The smell doesn't come from the coins themselves. When an iron coin comes into contact with our fingers, it reduces sweating, and the metal comes into contact with the volatile fats that cover our skin. This triggers a specific chemical reaction, where the skin fats break down and form a chemical compound with the iron, resulting in a distinctive smell that we perceive as the smell of the coin.
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Until 1806 (the year of the abolition of the Holy Roman Empire of the German Nation), the German states that were part of the empire used the term GROSSE MUNZE, which means “large coin”. The term was used to refer to coins worth 1/4 thaler or more.
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On German thalers, there was an inscription "XXX ein pfund fine", which means "1/30 pound of pure (silver)". This inscription indicated that the coin contained 1/30 pound of 999-grade silver. However, the significance was not in the overall weight of the coin, which was more than 1/30 pound due to the addition of copper, but rather in the amount of silver in the coin, which was equivalent to 999-grade silver.
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During the Middle Ages, and later, coins called "bats" were minted in Switzerland and southern Germany. The name "bats" comes from the German word "betz," which means "bear." This is because the first bats were minted in the Swiss canton of Bern, where the bear is the heraldic symbol.
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Holding in his hands a small fraction of the Prussian thaler of the last years of the reign of King Frederick II the Great (1740-1786), one cannot be sure of its authenticity. The fact is that small Prussian coins of this period (up to 1/3 of a thaler, inclusive) were actively counterfeited by fraudsters in the English city of Birmingham. Later, the products of counterfeiters through Hamburg were smuggled into Prussia. Such coins were called "Birmingham counterfeits". The lower the denomination of the coin, the higher the probability that it is fake. The presented specimen can be both the product of the mint of the Prussian monarch, and the Birmingham counterfeit.
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In the 17th century, the states of Northern Germany minted coins worth 1/24 Reichsthaler, officially known as Gutergroschen, or "good groschen" (there were also Mariengroschen, worth 1/36 Reichsthaler). Due to the apple-shaped crown depicted on the coins, they were popularly referred to as APFELGROSCHEN, or "apple groschen." A Prussian Apfelgroschen from the first half of the 17th century.
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The wide variety of coins minted by German cities during the period of feudal fragmentation was not only driven by economic benefits, but also had political implications. Independent imperial cities that recognized the Holy Roman Emperor as their overlord viewed the right to mint coins as an essential aspect of their sovereignty. More often than not, this right was granted, but sometimes cities would purchase the right to lease these mints from major feudal lords who owned their own mints (and, as a rule, lands adjacent to the city-states) in order to produce their own coins. It was also not uncommon for feudal lords to sell the right to mint "city coins" (a term that encompasses the money of city-states).
Gradually, the number of cities with the right to mint their own coins decreased, and after 1815, it was effectively limited to four free cities: Bremen, Hamburg, Lübeck, and Frankfurt am Main.
Hamburg сity сoin, 1727.
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During the feudal fragmentation of Germany, many of the states that were located on its territory minted a coin worth 1/3 of a thaler. It was nicknamed "DRIETTEL," which means "third."
An 18th-century Saxon driettel.
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The Germans had an interesting way of determining the quality of beer, which, as we know, depends on its density. A small coin was placed on the foam that formed after the beer was poured into a mug. If the coin immediately sank to the bottom, it meant that the beer was of poor quality, but if it remained on the foam cap, it was considered good.
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Some medieval and modern coins had official dual names. For example, in Germany, a coin worth 1/12 of a thaler was also called a doppelgroschen.
The Doppelgrosch of Saxony.
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Before the Anschluss by Hitler's Germany in 1938, Austria minted coins with the so-called "crutch cross" ("kruckenkreuz"), which was a cross with crossbars at the ends, similar to those found on crutches and placed in the armpits for support. It is believed that the crutch cross was positioned by the Austrian authorities as a counterbalance to the Nazi swastika (Austria's relations with Germany were quite tense).
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The Reichsmark of the Weimar Republic had a gold backing: 1 kg of 999-pure gold was equivalent to 2,790 silver Reichsmarks.
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In the 14th and 15th centuries, the Meissen (Saxon) groschen, minted in Freiberg by the Margraves of Meissen, served as an alternative to the Prague groschen. It belonged to the so-called sexagesimal coinage system, which divided a whole into 60 parts. The Meissen groschen was equivalent to approximately 1/60 of a silver mark (between 66-2/3 and 60 marks, depending on the silver's purity, which gradually decreased).
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The thalers of Frankfurt am Main depicted a girl who symbolized the city. She even had her own "name": Francophordia.
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The 20-pfennig silver coin of the German Empire, minted between 1873 and 1877, was known as the "flimmerchen" (from the German word "flimmern" meaning "to flicker").
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In Austria, during the reign of Empress Maria Theresa (1740-1780), the services of an army executioner cost 1 thaler for each soldier executed by sentence...
N#33736 [and others]
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During the German occupation of Serbia during World War II, the occupation dinar was in circulation, with a exchange rate of 250 dinars per Reichsmark.
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The first thalers were minted from silver mined in the vicinity of the Bohemian town of Joachimsthal (now known as Jáchymov). This is a well-known fact. However, what is less well-known is that the silver was mined not just in the vicinity, but in the valley where the town is located. In German, the valley is referred to as "TAL" (which is also the name of the town). Therefore, the name "thaler" is derived not only from the town's name but also from the word "valley."
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After the Austrian schilling was introduced on March 1, 1925, it immediately became one of the stable currencies and had a fixed exchange rate against the US dollar: 7.1 schillings per dollar.
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After the Anschluss of Austria by Nazi Germany in 1938, the Austrian schilling was exchanged for the German Reichsmark at a rate of 1.5 schillings per Reichsmark.
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The first German coin with socialist symbols was the Weissenfels notgeld, which was minted in 1918. It featured a hammer and sickle design.
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On the commemorative five-kronen coin minted in honor of the Sixtieth Anniversary of the reign of Emperor Franz Joseph I of Austria-Hungary, a running woman was depicted. She represented not Austria, not Freedom, and not any specific historical figure, but the ancient Roman goddess Fortuna. The Latin phrase "DVODECIM LVSTRIS GLORIOSE PERACTIS" translates to "He reigned gloriously for twelve lustres," and is also a reference to ancient Rome, where the term "lustrum" referred to a five-year period.
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The 2-mark coin of the Federal Republic of Germany, which was introduced in 1951, was short-lived. Its design resembled that of the 1-mark coin, which often led to confusion (especially for people with poor eyesight). As a result, the 1951 issue was the only one, and the coin was withdrawn from circulation on July 1, 1958. This coin is the only one of the demonetized coins of the Federal Republic of Germany before the country's transition to the Eurozone.
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The famous Maria Theresa thaler was perhaps the most popular trading coin in the East. It is not surprising that it has received many nicknames. Let us list some of them. - Egypt: "rial nimsawi" ("German thaler"). - Yemen: "Kirsh ha-Dsar" ("strong piaster") and "kirsh Franci" ("French piaster") - Turkey: "Kara kirsh" ("black piaster") - Hungary: "a Nagyanya" ("great-grandmother") - Sudan: "kirsh rial kushery" ("bird piaster") - Ethiopia: "rial abu tair" ("father of birds") P.S. The coin is minted by the Vienna Mint to the present...
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The mysterious inscription AI KASTEMANNCHE is minted on the obverse of the notgeld in the German city of Koblenz. It translates as AI - "eine" ("one") in the local jargon, and KASTEMANNCHE is the local slang name for the Prussian 2-1/2 silver groschen coin, minted before the formation of the German Empire. The translation sounds like "one two and a half groschen." An atypical example of a notgeld with a double face value.
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During the joint reign of Maria Theresa and her son Joseph II (1765-1780), coins were minted in Austria depicting the monarchs separately rather than together.
No link found - 20 / 1774 / F / A S
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In the 1970s, the purchasing power of the German Democratic Republic's mark was quite high. For 5 marks, you could purchase:
- 3 liters of high-octane gasoline for a passenger car at 1 mark 65 pfennigs per liter
- 11 cans of Coca-Cola with a volume of 0.33 liters for 42 pfennigs per can
- 9 loaves of rye bread for 52 pfennigs or 7 loaves of white bread for 64 pfennigs
- 7 liters of milk with a fat content of 2.2% for 66 pfennigs per liter
- 50 boxes of matches for 10 pfennigs per box
- 4 cups of beer for 1 mark 17 pfennigs per cup
- 1 large 100-gram chocolate bar
- 1 kWh of electricity cost only 8 pfennigs
- about 3 kg of sugar (1 mark 70 pfennigs per kilogram)
- about 30 kg of potatoes at 17 pfennigs per 1 kg
- 5 kg of salt at 88 pfennigs per 1 kg
- a jar of honey weighing 550 grams for 4 marks 95 pfennigs
- around 10 bottles of local lemonade (costing between 21 and 65 pfennigs, depending on the variety)
What were the salaries like at the time? The average monthly income was 500 marks, but salaries were usually slightly higher. A kindergarten teacher earned 559 marks, a store clerk earned between 600 and 800 marks, and an engineer with a university degree earned between 700 and 1300 marks per month. Construction workers earned particularly well, earning between 900 and 1500 marks. Thus, 5 marks was a substantial sum.
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The old town of Halle is nestled in the federal state of Saxony-Anhalt. It is famous for being the birthplace of modern European numismatics as a scientific discipline. This is because Professor Johann Heinrich Schultze (1687-1744), a passionate numismatist and scholar, taught at the local university, which was founded in 1694. In 1738, he was the first person in Europe (and most likely in the world) to give lectures on numismatics as a subfield of historical science. He used coins from his own collection as lecture material. Thus, Schulze laid the foundations of academic numismatics...
P.S. Portrait of Professor Johann Heinrich Schulze.
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An Austrian 10-groschen coin minted in 1925 featured a portrait of Margaretha von Tirol-Görz (1318-1369), the last Countess of Tirol. She was known by the nickname "Maultasch" ("Lipsome") and was ridiculed by her opponents, the Austrian Habsburgs, for her supposedly ugly appearance. There is even a portrait of Margaretha that depicts her in a caricatured and deformed manner. Meanwhile, according to the descriptions of objective contemporaries, the Countess was "very beautiful but stupid." It is not known for certain whether Her Grace was truly stupid, but her short-sighted policies contributed to the loss of Tyrol's independence and its annexation by Austria upon her death. Nevertheless, she was a beautiful woman, and her image on the coin was well-portrayed. Let the caricatures remain the responsibility of those who created them.
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The broken chains on the eagle's paws on Austrian coins, which were minted after the end of World War II, symbolized the country's liberation from Nazism.
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The famous 2-mark coin of the German Empire depicts an eagle fighting a snake. This composition is an allegory and symbolizes the conflict between Prussia (the eagle) and France (the snake). The coin was minted in 1913. During this period, Germany viewed France as its primary "natural" enemy.
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In 1918, in the German city of Koblenz, notgeld was issued with an unusual legend: "GÜLTIG BIS 1 JAHR NACH FRIEDENSSCHLUSS", which translates as "VALID UNTIL 1 YEAR AFTER THE CONCLUSION OF THE FINAL PEACE". At the time of the issue of these ersatz coins, the date of the end of the First World War was unknown. The period of their circulation as a substitute for state money was also unknown. The fact that these tokens were guaranteed to be in circulation for a year after the end of the war increased their credibility as a means of payment, eliminating the risk of sudden demonetization.
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In 1873-1889, the German Empire used the "old" version of the imperial eagle (Reichsadler) on 1-pfennig coins. From 1890, it was replaced by the "new" Reichsadler, and coins were issued with updated state symbols until 1916. However, in 1916, due to the difficult economic situation of the country, which was fighting on two fronts, it was decided to stop producing the copper coin and replace it with a cheaper aluminum coin. However, there was a problem: the new pfennig coin visually resembled the 5 pfennig coin from 1890-1916, and had a similar size (16 mm vs. 18 mm). To avoid confusion (especially for the visually impaired), it was decided to depict the old version of the imperial eagle on the 1 pfennig coin.
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In the second half of the 19th century, the cost of minting one Prussian silver thaler (excluding the price of the metal) was only 4.2 pfennigs (including the mint worker's salary, the depreciation of the minting machine, and other expenses related to the production of the coin using ready-made dies).
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One of the stages of the unification of the European monetary system at the level of the German states was the Vienna Monetary Convention, which was signed on January 24, 1857, in the Austrian capital. According to the terms of the treaty, the so-called "Union" thaler was introduced into circulation, and its minting was no longer based on the Cologne mark (233.855 grams of 999-pure silver), as was previously the case, but rather on the customs pound (500 grams of 999-pure silver). From one customs pound, it was supposed to mint 45 Austrian guilders, 52.5 guilders for the member countries of the South German Coinage Union, and 30 thalers for the member countries of the Dresden Coinage Union (which was concluded on July 30, 1838, and was based on the Cologne Mark). Thus, the Union thaler corresponded to one and a half Austrian guilders or 1.75 South German guilder
In order to provide the member countries of the Union with silver coins, it was decided to mint at least 24 thalers per 100 people in the period from 1857 to 1862. In the period from 1863 to 1866, it was planned to mint at least 16 thalers per 100 people. As time has shown, this plan was even exceeded. However, the Vienna Monetary Union was short-lived, as it was undermined by the Austro-Prussian War of 1866 and Austria-Hungary's subsequent entry into the Latin Monetary Union. Nevertheless, coins previously minted under the "Vienna" standard continued to circulate for an extended period. Until the early 20th century, the thaler could be exchanged for three marks based on its gold content. This exchange rate was widely used by the population, as the silver content of the thaler was only one and a half marks. Therefore, by giving the thaler to the state, you could make a lot of money).
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In the autumn of 1923, inflation in the Weimar Republic reached an astonishing rate of 3,200,000 percent per month. The banknotes were filled with more and more zeros (even reaching a value of 100 trillion marks), but they still couldn't keep up with the catastrophic rise in prices. As a result, people started using paper money to heat their homes, as it was more cost-effective than buying coal or firewood.
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During the reign of Maria Theresa (1740-1780), the Austrian monetary system was very complex and cumbersome. The largest monetary unit used in everyday transactions was the thaler (conventional thaler), with coins worth 2 and 3 thalers being issued, but their circulation was limited and they did not play a significant role in the monetary system. The thaler was divided into two guilders (florins). One florin was equivalent to 60 Kreuzer. The Kreuzer corresponded to 4 pfennigs, and the pfennig, in turn. the two Hellers. That is, one thaler of Maria Theresa was equal to 960 Hellers.
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After the 1/12 thaler coin was equalized to 7-1/2 groschen in Brandenburg in 1722, it was nicknamed "achtehalber," or "eight without a half."
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In 1762, Austria began issuing bancozettel - government bonds. They could be used as banknotes. The first issue was 12 million guilders. Later, the issue of bancozettel was put on stream: by the beginning of the 19th century, their total amount reached 100 million guilders. As a result, these banknotes were devalued, and although they were formally equal to the coin, they were actually worth much less (by 1813, 1 silver guilder was worth 13 guilders in bancozettel, due to the excessive issuance of unbacked paper money that had reached a volume of over a billion guilders). As a consequence, the Austrian economy faced significant inflation and was severely weakened.
To remedy the situation, the imperial authorities issued copper coins worth 15 and 30 Kreuzer in 1807, with the inscription "Bancozetteltheilu XXX munze" ("coin for the healing of bancozettel"), but the influx of copper coins did not stabilize the monetary system. The bancozettel continued to depreciate until it was finally withdrawn from circulation in 1816.
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Among the many varieties of old German thalers, there were so-called Wappenthaler. This term referred to coins that featured the full coat of arms of the ruler of the state. The Hanoverian Wappenthaler.
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In the 18th century, Germany, which was divided into many small and medium-sized states, had a concept known as "state coins" (landmunz). These coins did not conform to the standard of minting adopted by the Holy Roman Empire of the German Nation. They contained less precious metals (silver or gold) than the imperial coins. As a result, the circulation of these coins was limited to the issuing country, while the coins minted according to the imperial standard could circulate beyond the borders of the issuing state. A 1/4 stüber state coin minted for circulation in the Duchy of Jülich-Berg.
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During the reign of King Frederick II the Great of Prussia (1740-1786), a billon coin (made of 312-karat silver) worth 1/24 thaler was minted. This coin was equivalent to a penny and was popularly known as a "stiefelknecht" (meaning "boot-removal bench"). This nickname originated from the shape of the letter "R" in the king's monogram, which resembled a device used to remove high boots from the feet.
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Uncle Eugene
The mysterious inscription AI KASTEMANNCHE is minted on the obverse of the notgeld in the German city of Koblenz. It translates as AI - "eine" ("one") in the local jargon, and KASTEMANNCHE is the local slang name for the Prussian 2-1/2 silver groschen coin, minted before the formation of the German Empire. The translation sounds like "one two and a half groschen." An atypical example of a notgeld with a double face value.
No, this one is a mix-up of different meanings. It is true that the word Kassenmännchen meant 2 ½ silbergroschen and that the word Kastemännche is similar and might have been mispronounced as such, however the Kastemännche on this coin means something completely different. This is where facts and AI generated fiction cross paths without actually evidence and understanding or confirmation.
I have enjoyed your interesting facts Mr Eugene, and from my knowledge most are correct and true (the others I did not know, but seem plausible enough), but this one just didn’t sit right; my very first thought was of carnival, and how the person in the box reminds me of the Düsseldorf Hoppeditz and Köln Jecken, Koblenz is also has a big carnival history. Here is what I found;
1. AI is local dialect for EIN which means A not 1. So „a Kastemännche“ not “one Kassenmännchen“.
2. Kastemännche literal translation is „crate human“, box human, crate man, and locally in Koblenz craftsman. This is also associated with carnival in Koblenz, where the image you see of the man in a box holding 3 balls in each hand is the Kastemännche, more on the balls later, and was often represented on the Karneval floats as homage to the craftsman who built them, it was essentially their symbol.
3. The portrait is of Johann Joseph Görres, nothing to do with Kastemännche but a famous writer from Koblenz.
4. Kastemännche are also a local sweet cake/pastry from Koblenz, also known as Bethmännchen in Frankfurt, which were thrown from carnival floats and probably cost about 25 pfennig for one at the time. They are roundish and were thrown from the floats by the Kastemännche, they are represented here by the 3 balls in each hand of the craftsman in the box.
So as you can see this coin, is all about Carnival, the craftsmen who build the floats, and who throw the sweets, which happen to have the same name, and probably cost 25 pfennig at the time. Ai Kastemännche on the coin means both a craftsman and a sweet available and celebrated during carnival.
I don’t have a specific Notegeld catalogue or speciality, so maybe other members could check or add to my knowledge, but I am sure enough about carnival in the Rhein area to know that as there is a person in a box holding 3 things in each hand, it probably has something to do with carnival & cakes rather than having 2 values on the coin. I mean why visually represent one and have the word meaning something completely unrelated?
„If your reply or post in the Forum stinks of AI, I will call you out! Knowledge comes from experience, the I in AI stands for incompetence.“
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