Preussen, Germany & Austria

Coins from the German lands

Until 1871 Germany was not one state but a patchwork of kingdoms, duchies, bishoprics and free cities, many of which struck their own coins. This makes German coinage one of the richest fields in numismatics. The category ranges from an 11th-century denar to coins of the German Empire and the Weimar Republic, with a particular strength in medieval bracteates.

What is a bracteate?

A bracteate is a thin silver penny struck on one side only, so that the design shows in relief on the front and as a hollow mirror image on the back. Bracteates were the dominant coin in large parts of Germany in the 12th and 13th centuries. Because the flans were so thin, the die cutters could use the full surface for elaborate images of rulers, bishops, saints, buildings and animals, and many bracteates are regarded as small works of art. Coins were often recalled and re-struck at regular intervals, which is one reason why so many types exist.

This category has more than twenty bracteates dated between about 1142 and 1258, including one of Archbishop Heinrich I. Bracteates were also struck in Scandinavia, including Norway; see Norway before 1814.

What else is in this category?

• Middle Ages: a denar of 1039–1056 and late medieval hohlpfennigs.
• Thalers: reichsthalers and thalers dated 1586, 1588, 1592, 1595, 1611, 1612, 1623, 1638 and 1658, a 1/2 reichsthaler of 1643 and a 2/3 thaler of 1698.
• The Kipper and Wipper period: a schreckenberger of 1616–1619, from the years when German coinage was heavily debased.
• Modern coins: Prussian 2 mark of 1888, 25 pfennig of 1911, an error strike of 50 rentenpfennig 1924 and an Austrian 1 kreuzer of 1816.

What do collectors look for?

Bracteates are fragile, so collectors look for complete, uncracked flans and a sharp, well-centred image. For thalers, the strike, the portrait and any signs of mounting or cleaning matter most. Many German coins are identified by issuer rather than country, so the description of each item names the authority where it is known. For other European coins, see Europe.