Again, keep in mind that the "public" mints in Germany are state operated. Berlin/A was the primary mint for/in Prussia. Saxony had its own mint which was in Dresden first, and then (in 1887) moved to Muldenhütten where silver mining and metal processing already was in full swing so to say. During the nazi regime there were plans to build a new central mint in Berlin and then close all others. Well, those final victory plans did not quite work, so after 1945 the five mints resumed production again. As you wrote, Muldenhütten/E minted the last pieces in 1953; after that, Berlin/A made all GDR coins. The German location that would be easiest to close, in my opinion, is Karlsruhe. In 1998 the two mints in the state of Baden-Württemberg merged into one company, so you now have two places in one state that make coins. While we may find it sad if a "local" mint closes, there is always the cost issue mentioned before. The mint in Valletta (Malta) closed in 1995, the one in Eskilstuna (Sweden) closed in 2011, and others may follow. We'll see. Christian
@torontokuba: I am well aware of the fact that many people, particularly outside Continental Europe, see "Germany" as something that somehow came alive in 1914 and somehow died in 1945. And yes, of course the lack of flagwaving nationalism here has something to do with the nazi years. Problem is, they won't explain everything that has been and is going on here ... Christian
Not only. Germany has also worked hard to bury any remnants or identity of the former East Germany and its people. Just don't make it sound like patriotism and pride towards your own domestic customs, products and services is somehow contrary to "the concept of giving and taking" that you're forced to practice.
Seems you have a view of this part of the world that is strikingly different from what I experience here. Enjoy yours, I have mine - and guess what, it was not "forced" upon me. The only force that I feel here, sort of, is that a moderator should perhaps not be engaged in "World Coins" conversations that seem to be more suitable for PartisanLines ... Christian
Nah, it took a few dozen posts. Besides, we're back to the multitude of mints. I don't think that "defunct" facilities will be revived - maybe for special occasions and purposes (think of Hall, Austria 1976), and of course as museums. A "working museum", where medals are minted and where visitors can see or even be involved in the process, is even better ... By the way, earlier this year (for Lithuania's euro adoption) I made a list of mints, or rather locations, where euro coins have been made. Some of them regularly make circulation coins, others (e.g. Pobjoy) just make a few collector coins, others (Birmingham Mint) may not even exist any more. The country codes in [] refer to locations outside the euro area. Berlin, DE Brussels, BE Chalandri (Athens), GR Eskilstuna, SE Hamburg, DE Hockley, [UK] Jablonec, [CZ] Karlsfeld, DE Karlsruhe, DE Kingswood, [UK] Kremnica, SK Lisbon, PT Llantrisant, [UK] Madrid, ES Munich, DE Paris, FR Pessac (Bordeaux), FR Rome, IT Sandyford (Dublin), IE Stuttgart, DE Utrecht, NL Vantaa (Helsinki), FI Vienna, AT Vilnius, LT Warsaw, [PL] Zagreb, [HR] Way too many in my opinion. But if they manage to work profitably, by making coins and medals for various customers ... Christian
What about the paper money? Are all the Euro banknotes exactly the same, or does each member country have a different design, or a different serial number prefix or some other distinguishing mark(s)?
The design is the same; unlike the coins which are issued by the member states, the notes are issued by the ECB, or rather the system of central banks. But each note has a short code and a serial number. Those can be used to find out more about where a note is from. For the first generation euro notes, the first character of the short code tells you about the printing company while the first character of the serial number refers to the commissioning national central bank. With the second generation notes, the first character is the same for both the code and the s/n, and refers to the printer - not just the company but also the location. I think I wrote about that a while ago, somewhere in the paper money forum. Christian
By the way, I just read that Denmark is about to "outsource" its money production (coins and notes) in 2016. And again, if the total volume produced per year is not much - and cash usage continues to shrink - , it would be odd not to do that. http://www.nationalbanken.dk/en/pre...lling-demand-for-new-banknotes-and-coins.aspx Christian
I cannot post the coins from my cell but it's the Unc set issued by the Bank of Israel from the Israel Mint. I don't mind so much that the coins are minted in Korea but I don't like that nations do not advise the coins are not minted nationally. Many iPhone owners believe the phone is US made as Apple HQ is in CA. In truth, the phone uses parts from all over Asia. Only the design comes from the US.
I believed the silver and gold commemoratives were minted at the Jerusalem Mint but I cannot find such a mint even exists.
I got this coin yesterday and couldn't find any info about it on catawiki or numis websites. It is strange because after a thorough search I collected few information about it: 1/2 old shekel mostly 1980, with Mageddo Seal; Roaring Lion with twisted tail. Below the lion supposed to be written servant of Jeroboam (not sure about this; just a guessing). I am frustrated because I couldn't find any information about the coin minting; such as number produced per year and how many years it had been struck. All I know is that old shekel coins had been into circulation 1980-1985. Again, the mint is it copper nickel or silver. Not sure about this either. It is really disappointing. I need your help for a reference for this coin.
Chris thanks a lot. This is what i was trying to find. Probably i missed it because i searched using the word shekel not sheqel. You are better than google)))))))
