Nazi Silver Coins - Coin Community Forum

To participate in the forum you must log in or register.

Author	Replies: 5 / Views: 1,573
Kreuzer Valued Member Spain 58 Posts	Posted 12/08/2007 4:56 pm Hello all. I don´t know what is the situation in USA, but in Europe, nazi silver coins, specially Hindenburg type, are very common. The question is, does anybody know why these coins are so common? I´ll explain myself. Once the II WW finished, I would expect that all the silver coins in Germany were melted to provide resources to improve the economic situation. On the other hand, another reason to melt the coins is that a coin with a nazi symbol wouldn´t be a very good souvenir to keep at home. This is the theory, the reality is that there are big amounts of this coins on ebay (for example), and they are very cheap to be a silver coin. Does anybody know the answer? Report this Post to the Staff

onejinx Pillar of the Community United States 1231 Posts	Posted 12/08/2007 7:54 pm Actually most of the coins made with swastikas (2,5,10,50 Reichspfennig & the Reichsmark) are not made of silver but are either zinc, aluminum-bronze, aluminum, nickel. The 2 & 5 Reichsmark were made from silver edited to add I don't really think there are alot of them on ebay. I am sure back in the day, people hid their money so as not to have the government know where it was. Edited by onejinx 12/08/2007 8:05 pm Report this Post to the Staff
Sap Moderator Australia 16861 Posts	Posted 12/08/2007 11:05 pm Private hoarding is probably the best reason why so many of these coins were preserved. In times of war, precious metal coinage was hoarded by the population, rather than paper money. If worst came to worst and the government fell, the paper would become worthless, but silver is silver, no matter how objectionable the images stamped on it are. The Germans, with memories of post-WWI hyperinflation still fresh, would have been extra vigilant against relying on paper money. Don't say "infinitely" when you mean "very"; otherwise, you'll have no word left when you want to talk about something really infinite. - C. S. Lewis Report this Post to the Staff
chrisild Pillar of the Community Germany 1238 Posts	Posted 12/09/2007 10:00 am Except that shortly after WW2 neither "paper" nor "silver" money would buy you much in Germany. Between 1945 and 1948 the Reichsmark would simply not be accepted in many cases, no matter in which variety, and black market/"compensation" deals were most common. According to the Jaeger catalog, 76% of the 2 and 5 RM silver coins issued in 1933-39 were still in circulation (or hoarded) at the end of 1944. However, in 1945 the allied occupation government ordered all German and foreign precious metal coins to be confiscated (Control Council Proclamation Nr. 2, Sec. V, 15). Well, apparently they were not terribly successful with that, or did not generally enforce it - but this is also why the other coins were officially taken out of circulation in the late 1940s while the silver coins were not. Christian Edited by chrisild 12/09/2007 10:03 am Report this Post to the Staff
snowman Pillar of the Community United States 1840 Posts	Posted 12/09/2007 11:18 am I would also bet that there were a fair amount of coins taken as souvenirs by the millions of foreign soldiers stationed there. When my cousin came back from Iraq he had a good amount of local coins and currency and he's not even a collector. Report this Post to the Staff
Zaggy Valued Member Australia 432 Posts	Posted 12/13/2007 11:06 am Sap and Chrisild have it... In addition to Proclamation Nr. 2 (20.9.1945), the SMAD issued Order Nr. 11 of 25.6.1945 for areas controlled by Soviet Forces, with Point 1, reading very similiar to part of Proclamation Nr 2, sub-para 15 a)... Yes, that was all from my head! hahahahaa... About the Jaeger percentages tho, I'm not 100% convinced on those, seeing as the Third Reich was ACTIVELY removing Silver (Principly the .900 5RM coins) coinage from Circulation possibly as early as 1943, definately by 1944, and reclaiming the material (Muldenhütten played a big role in that, due to the on-site metal production facilities). Still, yes, there are LOTS of them out there; there were lots made though. The figures I've got suggest the Third Reich from 1933-1939 minted in excess of 350 Million (approx, I have a much more accurate number, but who cares once you're over a quarter of a BILLION coins!) Silver based coins, interestingly at a ratio about 60/40 5RM to 2RM. Lets suggest that 75% (which is probably the worst case estimate) were reclaimed, lost, handed in, destroyed, etc... Thats still over 87 Million of them out there!! Now to the coins... The Hindenburg Ohne Hakenkreuz and Potsdam ohne Datum tend to sell for not much more than material value in grades upto XF. Hindenburg mit Hakenkreuz in general are more expensive (there are couple of Year/Mint combinations that are going to cost you US$30-40 for a VF, esp certain 1936 2RM's). The Potsdam mit Datum coins are a step up again, while the Luther's and Shiller's, if youre after a good one, go have a look at Kuenker or something... Interestingly, the Nickel coins will command a far higher price than the Silver coins, due to the fact they were actually minted so the Third Reich could stockpile Nickel, pre world war II... in 1940, they were demonetised and withdrawn. Being Nickel, they were returned in the millions (about 90% across Weimar/Third Reich 50Rpf and Third Reich 1RM); quite the opposite to the way the Silver was hoarded. If youre after particular stuff, or looking to trade or supply or whatever, try a mate of mine, Luke... https://www.luckylukeonline.com... Report this Post to the Staff
	Replies: 5 / Views: 1,573

To participate in the forum you must log in or register.

All Forums Category: World Coins and Currency Forums Forum: World Coins and Commemoratives

Silver Gold Bull US is the United States leading bullion dealer. We deliver gold coins, gold bars, silver coins, silver bars and precious metals to your door. Order today!

The First Dollar, your premier source for bullion and rare coins. See our bullion list on the site and the coin inventory on ebay.

View Last 100 New Topics

View Last 100 Active Topics

Disclaimer: While a tremendous amount of effort goes into ensuring the accuracy of the information contained in this site, Coin Community assumes no liability for errors. Copyright 2005 - 2026 Coin Community Family- all rights reserved worldwide. Use of any images or content on this website without prior written permission of Coin Community or the original lender is strictly prohibited.
Contact Us | Advertise Here | Privacy Policy / Terms of Use

Coin Community Forum

It took 0.27 seconds to rattle this change.