DE: Commemorative and Collector Coins 2012

[chrisild]

2010 is almost over, we already know what coins Germany plans to issue in 2011, and what they will look like ... time to devote our attention to 2012.   According to the schedule just published by a coin magazine (MünzenMagazin), there will be two €2 commems, five €10 collector coins, and two gold collector pieces:

2012 Commemorative Coins (legal tender in the currency union)
(Jan 2) €2 Ten Years Euro Cash (Common Issue, see http://www.worldofcoins.eu/forum/index.php/topic,8439.0.html)
(Feb 3) €2 German States series: Bavaria (Neuschwanstein, see http://www.worldofcoins.eu/forum/index.php/topic,2752.30.html)

2012 Silver/Cu-Ni Collector Coins (regional issues, legal tender in the issuing member state only)
(Feb 9) €10 - Frederick II of Prussia (born 300 years ago)
(Apr 12) €10 - 50 Years Welthungerhilfe (see http://www.welthungerhilfe.de/yesterday-today.html)
(Jun 14) €10 - Grimm Brothers Fairy Tales (first published 200 years ago)
(Sep 13) €10 - 100 Years Deutsche Nationalbibliothek (Nat'l Library, see http://www.d-nb.de/eng/index.htm)
(Nov 8 ) €10 - Gerhart Hauptmann (born 150 years ago, Nobel Prize for Literature awarded 100 years ago)

2012 Gold Collector Coins (regional issues, legal tender in the issuing member state only)
(Jun 25) €20 gold - Forest Trees series: Spruce (see http://www.worldofcoins.eu/forum/index.php/topic,5426.0.html)
(Oct 1) €100 gold - World Cultural Heritage: Aachen, NW (Cathedral)

Christian

[chrisild]

Frederick II "the Great" has been honored on a coin from this country before - in 1986 (200th anniversary of his death) the Federal Republic issued a 5 DM coin. The GDR also issued coins on that occasion, except they do not officially refer to him (5 M Sanssouci, 5 M Neues Palais 1986).

In the same year, by the way, there was also a GDR commem dedicated to the Grimm Brothers. Wilhelm Grimm was born in 1786, and in 1986 there was that 20 M piece - again it did not show a "real" person. This time they picked the Cat/Puss in Boots ...

Christian

[Ukrainii Pyat]

In the same year, by the way, there was also a GDR commem dedicated to the Grimm Brothers. Wilhelm Grimm was born in 1786, and in 1986 there was that 20 M piece - again it did not show a "real" person. This time they picked the Cat/Puss in Boots ...

Christian

Politically Puss n boots was more acceptable than Wilhelm Grimm.

[Prosit]

Brother's Grimm and Puss n Boots.....both dealing with folk and fairy tales...probably my favorite genre.

I have a German 5DM FROM 1976 (Hans Jacob Christoph, von Grimmelshausen) but wasn't aware of the GDR commem.
Is there an image of the Puss-n-Boots design?

Here is mine from an Austrian good luck/ happy new year medal.

Dale

.........In the same year, by the way, there was also a GDR commem dedicated to the Grimm Brothers. Wilhelm Grimm was born in 1786, and in 1986 there was that 20 M piece - again it did not show a "real" person. This time they picked the Cat/Puss in Boots ...

Christian

[chrisild]

Briefly searched for images; here are some from a coin dealer. Links only, as they don't have much to do with the topic.

5 DM Friedrich: http://www.honscha.de/bilder/sonstige/7885g.jpg
20 M Grimm: http://www.honscha.de/bilder/sonstige/2476.jpg
5 M Friedrich/Sanssouci: http://www.honscha.de/bilder/sonstige/2466.jpg
5 M Friedrich/Neues Palais: http://www.honscha.de/bilder/sonstige/2468.jpg

Don't think that the GDR avoided the depiction of people for political reasons. The regime's attitude regarding Prussia and Friedrich for example was ambiguous, but they had a major exhibition in Potsdam about him in 1986 - in that "Neues Palais" castle by the way. And the Grimm Brothers - well, the two did a lot more than collecting fairy tales. They were linguists but also politically active, protested against autocratic tendences in the kingdom of Hannover, could then no longer be professors there and were even forced to leave the country. Again, the GDR regime may not have been in agreement with everything they did and aimed at, but they could easily have depicted the two. Maybe they simply did not want two heads on the coin ...

Christian

[Prosit]

I like the 5 DM Friedrich and 20 M Grimm design...the others not so much.

Dale

[chrisild]

The jury picked the design for the "Welthungerhilfe" coin. It will probably be issued in April 2012, in unc (Cu-Ni) and proof (Ag 625). The winning design was done by Elena Gerber. To learn more about Welthungerhilfe, click the link in the first post, or go here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Welthungerhilfe

The edge of the coin has a motto which is used by the Welthungerhilfe, and several other self help organizations too: "Hilfe zur Selbsthilfe". Literally: "Help (in order) to self help". Guess that the term "empowerment" comes close the concept.

Attached is an image of the proof coin design. The unc piece will have pretty much the same look, except for the "Silber 625" of course. (Update: The eagle side will look a little different, see here.)

Christian

[Prosit]

There were "Welthungerhilfe" medals struk in Germany in 1983-1985 too. At least 6 different.
Dale

[Vivek]

Hello
Is it possible to book these commemorative and collector's coins from outside issuing country? For eg From India..
If yes kindly send me details.
Regards.

[chrisild]

The base metal (Cu-Ni) versions of these collector coins - Germany usually issues five or six per year - can be had at face value here in DE. Basically I can send one to anybody who wants one. Problem is that shipping single coins to India may be a little expensive.

The silver (prooflike) versions can be purchased from the German Numismatic Office (VfS) - the price varies depending on the silver content. Currently one €10 proof piece costs about €20. In theory everybody can order from them, I think, regardless of where he/she is. But in this case we have the problem that payments need to be made using money transfer or direct debit ... no problem for customers in the euro area, but it may get expensive or impossible for others. Also, the VfS website is in German; that UK flag button at the top is a link to a short English intro only ...

Christian

[Prosit]

How about "Helping others help themselves".  Pretty good ad jingle 
Dale

"Hilfe zur Selbsthilfe". Literally: "Help (in order) to self help". Guess that the term "empowerment" comes close the concept.
Christian

[chrisild]

Here is the next one, honoring the Prussian king Friedrich II (image: muenzenwoche.de). The piece was designed by Erich Ott who, for the portrait, used the only "authentic" portrait of Friedrich (by Johann Georg Ziesenis, 1763). All others were made after Friedrich's death.

Christian

[chrisild]

And here we have the National Library. Well, the coin that commemorates its centennial, that is. This coin will be issued in September 2012. The winning design was made by Victor Huster.

Christian

[Figleaf]

The longer I look at that design, the more I see and the more I like it. The symbolism doesn't jump out, but it's there, inviting the brain to add interpretation. Not an easy design to appreciate, but it has the intellectual depth so often missing from modern art.

Peter

[chrisild]

Must admit that, when I first read who the contest winner was (without seeing the design), I thought, oh dear.   Huster designed the "Deutsches Museum Munich" piece (10 euro 2003), and I have always found that to be too busy and abstract. Many of the medals he has designed so far* I find attractive. But not everything that looks great on a medal looks good on a coin ...

This is Victor Huster's website, with lots of images of his coin designs and medals:
http://www.victor-huster.de/
Interestingly he does not "only" design coins and medals but also mints pieces at his workshop. (Side note: People in Israel use "his" money every day - Huster designed the obverse of the 1 New Sheqel circulation coin.)

Currently (until mid-October) an exhibition of his works can be visited in Speyer, RP:
http://www.smb.museum/ngb/files/NGSAusstellungHuster,Sparkasse,22.9.2011.pdf

Anyway, when I saw the winning design for the National Library coin, I was positively surprised. Not as simple as a shelf with books but not too complex either. Of course I would like to see the others (second prize etc.) too, but this one is not bad at all.

Christian