Numismatik-Cafe

With apologies to the Forum for English-only,

In another Forum appeared a discussion on Austria’s use of the zinc 1-reichpfennig coins. As part of the discussion I had posted a pair of entries from my coin notebook, which follow, but they led me to a series of questions that are probably better answered here. First the notebook entries, in which I was afraid I had been speculating just a little too much:

(from the Austrian section)

950: It’s difficult for me to credit, but it certainly appears that the rather puzzling longevity of these first and only postwar Austrian 1-groschen pieces–all coined with the frozen date of 1947–is somehow responsible for preserving (through at least 1979, according to U.S. Mint reports, anyway) the legal tender status of the very similar zinc 1-reichpfennig pieces which circulated in Austria after the ‘38 Anschluss with Germany. Note that the 1947 1-groschen was first issued to circulation April 5th, 1948. (01)

(and then from the German section)

7340: The Third Reich had just a few months to run when this small zinc reichspfennig was minted in Berlin in 1945, but these little Nazi relics (and I find this amazing in the extreme) remained legal tender in Austria at least as late as 1979. Need to find a newer U.S. Mint report to learn of their present status, but I suspect it tracks that of the very similar Austrian groschen pieces still being coined in token numbers into the ‘70s, all with the frozen date 1947. Could it be possible that this piece from Hitler’s Germany is still money? Surely though, in 2002, whatever amazing legal tender status it might inadvertently have retained down through the decades was cut off as a part of the euro’s debut. (85)

(But then the current questions....)

As part of the conversion to the euro, Austria appears to be one of the countries whose coins can still be exchanged. They are still being purchased in the U.S., anyway, as foreign exchange.

Are the schilling coins still exchangeable for euros? Are the groschen coins also? Can it be that the 1947 1-groschen (and its German cognates) are still exchangeable, still "money" even yet?

v.

Hello villa,

all Schilling- and Groschen- coins of 2. Republic are still exchangeable for Euros - also the 1 Groschen coins dated 1947. (An exception are only the old 5 Schilling and 10 Schilling coins made of silver). For information have a look in this brochure (unfortunately only in German available):

http://www.oenb.at/de/img/dl_schilling- ... -98741.pdf

edit: I´ve just realised that there are some more exceptions but the 5 Schilling and 10 Schilling coins, you can see it on page 50 of the brochure. But the mentioned German coin is not included, neither at the exchangeable nor at the not exchangeable coins.

Hi villa66,

the Vienna mint had taken part in minting the 1 Reichspfennig coins in zinc, and continued using the same blanks for the Austrian 1 Groschen coins dated 1947 which were produced with frozen date until 1980. Note that the 1945 currency reform in Austria replaced the Reichsmark at par with the Schilling, so 1 Reichspfennig was equal to 1 Groschen since then. Both the 1 Reichspfennig and the 1 Groschen coins were legal tender in Austria until February 28, 2002.

Greetings,
gs

_________________
Deutscher Münzkatalog, Euro Münzkatalog, Weltmünzkatalog.

Thank you Gerhard, and thanks especially to you, steiermark, for the brochure—very nice!

If I could ask anyone who knows, are these the English translations of the following terms from the brochure?

Ausgabedatum = Date of issue
Einziehungsdatum = Date of withdrawal
Präklusivtermin = Date of demonetization

v.

Hello villa,

I think these translations are okay, if "date of demonetization" means the last day, when the coins can be exchanged.

"...if 'date of demonetization' means the last day, when the coins can be exchanged."
Ja, ja...vielen dank!

v.