German states grow to 1000 coins!

If you thought a hundred types were a lot,

The German states now have 1000 different types of coins. This means 1000 different designs you can collect, with several dates and varieties in each.

Wow! I need to start collecting German states coins! Hey, by the way, Mr. Chinese Cash Coins, how many varieties of those are there? I would also like to start collecting cash coins.

Yeah, German state coins will still grow. I'm expecting at the end of the year at least 1250 different types.

As for Chinese copper 10 and 20 cash coins, there are some 300-500 varieties maybe, but many of them are expensive. Oh, and please don't look towards eBay cause that's where I look.

to revive an old post,
the German states now have over 1500 coins, and I was just wondering why they made so many? I'm not so familiar with the history and I just assume each little state made their own coinage, but still i'm curious as to why there's so many.    so much of it looks like relatively rare but beautiful stuff

from what I've seen it doesn't seem possible to collect most of these beauties on a modest budget...

thanks

German states are ridiculous to collect. Not only are there so many of them, but they're also ridiculously popular so it's really hard to get them for a decent price, because people pay way more than catalogue value for them. I've only got 3 of them:

https://en.numista.com/catalogue/pieces20429.html
https://en.numista.com/catalogue/pieces24515.html
https://en.numista.com/catalogue/pieces7935.html

And those three I got lucky because the person didn't know what they were, and just listed them as "old coins" so I picked them up for way under catalogue value.

Yeah, on average Prussian copper go for 16 bucks a piece.

And good luck trying to get the Prussian silver drei, zwei or funf marks for anything less than catalogue.  Even the lower grade ones which catalogue for $7-$15 usually go for the catalogue values of the higher grade coins.

Last trip to the coin fair I got the 1873C of this in BU for £10.  
So it is possible to find a good deal.

It is also worth mentioning that there are about 450 regional notgelds in the Germany - 1871-1948 section. They're cheaper.

I've added 2 or 3 Anglo-Hanoverian coins the last week or so and will be adding more in the coming days/week German states are awesome especially since Brunswick-luneburg/ Hannover fits in my colonial stuff

Citação: neilithicGerman states are ridiculous to collect. Not only are there so many of them, but they're also ridiculously popular so it's really hard to get them for a decent price, because people pay way more than catalogue value for them.

I would look at it the other way round: The catalog value (in Krause) is ridiculously low for German ,coins a lot of times.
The Krause catalog is so wrong in so many ways, that is why you need alternative sources.

Indeed imreh !
You need to definitely cross-reference. I and radrick have recently found that the dollar value on South African stuff usually is the price in pounds you pay !

Citação: Mark240590Indeed imreh !
You need to definitely cross-reference. I and radrick have recently found that the dollar value on South African stuff usually is the price in pounds you pay !

I have already quoted my orienteering friend, whose motto: "If you have a map, then you see the terrain,... and the terrain is different from the map. Then: Trust the terrain!" likewise, if you have a catalog and you see the market, then trust the market, rather than the catalog!

The Krause guys have more serious sins than this one though.

Great advice !

I always feel like I've robbed myself though when I buy a coin for say £3 and the value is 0.25c
- I think well where am I gunna get one for that price !! It's ridiculous but that's exactly what you say - current market value !

The trick is to find some un-popular coins, buy 'em cheap, hoard 'em, and sell/swap later. I was doing this with South African silver before Xmas and it was keeping my hobby going.

Citação: imrehI would look at it the other way round: The catalog value (in Krause) is ridiculously low for German ,coins a lot of times.
The Krause catalog is so wrong in so many ways, that is why you need alternative sources.

Nope, I look at it this way.  The catalogue value is about right for similar sized coins of similar mintages from other countries.  The only thing driving the price up is demand.  If demand drops when they become less popular then the price drops.  It's like with Myanmar stamps.  They were ridiculously popular 15-20 years back and people were paying hideous prices for them, but then something else became popular and the price plummeted.  I'm not going to pay top dollar for German coins now when in 10-20 years the price will probably have levelled off to something more realistic.

Citação: neilithicI'm not going to pay top dollar for German coins now when in 10-20 years the price will probably have levelled off to something more realistic.

But it would be worth it to find one at an insanely low price, and reselling it if you don't care for German state coinage.

In a listing that had an 1845 Straits 1/2 cent and a Saxon heller, I could've made somewhere between 40-80 bucks reselling the two.

By the way, demand is really true. I remember when Hong Kong coins were in huge demand.

Citação: SmartOneKgI remember when Hong Kong coins were in huge demand.

Yeah, it was probably about the same time that the stamps were popular.  There used to be a really high demand for the Queen Victoria and Edward VII stamps from Hong Kong a few years back.  I think that's fallen away as well.

I completed cataloguing a job lot of coins recently. I braved cataloguing the German coins. I almost pooed myself when I thought I was in possession of a unique 1924 (or was it 1925?) F Rennten Pfennig: then I realised it was a Reichs pfennig. I then catalogued the Federal Republic coins which I had put off until the end including a little bag from ages ago too. I finally braved it. Germany isn't really my bag, but it is good news that the states have a lot of coins.

I love German States coins!





That's just some of my copper.

Citação: dptashnyThat's just some of my copper.

 show off.

Jk. I'd probably be showing off my rare German states coins, especially my EF kreuzer from Baden, but I don't have the time to scan them all. Daniel, those are some very nice coins.

Citação: SmartOneKg

Citação: dptashnyThat's just some of my copper.

 show off.

Jk. I'd probably be showing off my rare German states coins, especially my EF kreuzer from Baden, but I don't have the time to scan them all. Daniel, those are some very nice coins.

Thanks, they were expensive (although huge bargains).

I have recently found with the German states is that if you wait you can get them for cheap !
I've recently added G III, IV and William IV pfennigs to my collection along with other denominations.
Now I need a Georg August !

Citação: eminemthe German states now have over 1500 coins, and I was just wondering why they made so many? I'm not so familiar with the history and I just assume each little state made their own coinage, but still i'm curious as to why there's so many.    so much of it looks like relatively rare but beautiful stuff

Sorry, that I have kind of ignored this post.  
[simplified history:] The German States were provided the right to mint coins under the "Holy Roman Empire", which was a combination of German/Roman powers with 7 kings/bishops to elect their emperor.

Who in return, had very limited power, however issued all rights to mint coins to an almost indefinite number of kings, princes, lords, bishops and archbishops, free cities, even pubowners at certain stages,... and more.
 
All of these were in a "wahrungunion", so their currency was accepted in all over the [almost] fictitious "empire" and even further in Austria, Northern Italy, Hungary and sometimes Poland.
(Imagine this, as today's euro, if you mint a nice piece, and a lot of them in - say-  Slovenia, it will be a legal tender in a many countries)

... as a result of this, a lot of the kings, and princes and their cousins and their mother in law, thought it is a great way to promote themselves, their existance, their marriage etc.... on coins.

It indeed was a great way to get recognition from other Germans [and more] before the internet hit the scene.

That shortly explains why we have sooo many German States coins, for good!

In short, a lot of it is propaganda coinage.

thanks imre!

Citação: neilithic

Citação: SmartOneKgI remember when Hong Kong coins were in huge demand.

Yeah, it was probably about the same time that the stamps were popular.  There used to be a really high demand for the Queen Victoria and Edward VII stamps from Hong Kong a few years back.  I think that's fallen away as well.

Yeah, ever since I moved to Hong Kong, I've collected hundreds of Q.Victoria and Edward VII Cents and Stamps.