I reached an important milestone in my collection last month. After years of focusing exclusively on European coinage, I purchased—somewhat hesitantly—my first United States coin; a raw, circulated 1952 Washington-Carver Half Dollar. The alphabetized spreadsheet of my collection, which I assumed would eternally end with “Switzerland” (coins of the former Yugoslavia are listed under its sub-kingdoms), now concludes with a single “United States” entry. I can say now—without hesitation—that I’m beaming proud.
My purchase of the Washington-Carver was actually a long-time coming. Although I hardly share the passion for U.S. coins displayed by many club members (a passion that was on brilliant display during the recent grading exercise held by Bill Fivaz and John Lyons), there is one series that has occasionally captured my attention online and on the bourse floor: the classic commemorative coins, a majestic bounty of unique half-dollars issued during 1892-1953. Long-time collectors of these “commems” can articulate the attraction better than I. Maybe it’s the short-lived production runs. Perhaps it’s the more explicit sense of history. Or the connection to places we have lived or visited. Whatever it is, I’ve been standing on the edge of this series for some time. Now, with my Washington-Carver in hand, I’m thrilled to have finally taken the plunge.
Actually, I’ve been a collector of classic commemorative coins for years, just not the U.S. variety. Several European nations in the first few decades of the 20th century struck single-issue types commemorating people, places, royal wedding anniversaries, battles, and numerous other events. Europe was not as systematic or consistent in issuing commems as the United States, nor were European commemorative coins always minted at 90% fineness like their U.S counterparts. I find it useful to think about European commemorative coins, particularly for the inter-War years, in two categories; “systematic” and “non-systematic.”

For the 1920s and 1930s there are only two places to find a systematic output of commemorative coins, Austria and Germany. Both offer collectors highly appealing yet very different series. Between 1928 and 1937 Austria introduced a unique 2 Schilling piece (12g, .640 Ag, .2469 ASW) each year. All ten coins are richly designed, with many today displaying a lustrous brown-speckled hue around the rims. The subjects ranged from musicians (Schubert, Mozart, Haydn and even the abdominal surgeon/music critic Dr. Theodor Billroth) to Austro-Germanic heroes (Prince Eugen of Savoy and Walther von der Vogelweide), architectural feats (St. Charles Church in Vienna), and—coinciding with a proto-fascist shift in Austrian politics in the 1930s—some rather dubious politicians (Ignaz Seipel, Engelbert Dollfuss, and Karl Lueger). In fact, the 1934 Engelbert Dollfuss commem marked an overhaul in the design of the coin, including the not-so-accidental removal of the word “Republik” from the reverse legend. The lowest mintage piece (300,000) is the 1932 coin commemorating the 200 year anniversary of the birth of Joseph Haydn. No other coin in the series should cost more than $30 in XF-AU, with the highest-mintage piece (6,900,000), the 1928 centennial of the death of Franz Schubert, easily found for slightly over melt.

More striking than the Austrian commems are the 3 and 5 Reichsmark coins of Germany’s democratic Weimar Republic (1919-1933). These magnificent coins were minted in very small numbers, with many considered quite rare and expensive today. The series commenced in 1925 with 3 Reichsmark (15g, .500 Ag, .2411 ASW) and 5 Reichsmark (25g, .500 Ag, .4019 ASW) coins commemorating the 1,000th Year of the Rhineland…hardly a neutral subject in the wake of WWI. Five years later, in 1930, another coin was issued commemorating the Liberation of the Rhineland (read: the region’s return to German possession) with the reverse legend provocatively proclaiming the Rhine as “Germany’s River Not Germany’s Border.” These 1925 and 1930 Rhineland issues, minted at six different cities within Germany, are the most common Weimar commems. In total, there were nineteen unique 3 Reichsmark commems and nine unique 5 Reichsmark commems. Both denominations concluded in 1932 with coins marking the 100 year anniversary of the death of poet Johann Wolfgang von Goethe. Though some issues in the series seem to be more popular among collectors than others, particularly the 1929 10 Year Anniversary of the Weimar Constitution and the 1930 Graf Zeppelin Flight, there is something in this systematically issued series for everybody. I have my eye on the 1926 3 Reichsmark marking 700 Years of Freedom for one of my favorite German cities, Lübeck.
I define non-systematic series as the recurring though certainly not consecutive issuance of commemorative pieces. Fitting the criteria here, though in different ways, are Hungary and the Scandinavian countries of Denmark and Sweden. Sporadically in the 1930s, Hungary issued 2 Pengo (10g, .640 Ag, .2058) and 5 Pengo (25g, .640 Ag, .5145) commemorative pieces. Three unique 2 Pengo coins were struck during 1935-1936 honoring the tercentenary of Pazmany University, the bicentennial of Francis II Rákóczi’s death, and the 50th anniversary of the death of Franz Liszt. All three coins are fairly easy to find today in circulated and uncirculated condition. Three unique 5 Pengo coins were issued in 1930, 1938, and 1939. Two of the three coins commemorate Admiral Niklós Horthy, WWI naval hero and regent of the Kingdom of Hungary during the interwar years and WWII, while the third marks the 900 year anniversary of the death of St. Stephan in 1938. In 1948, the short-lived Second Hungarian Republic (1946-1949) issued three unique silver commemorative coins honoring the centenary of the 1848 Revolution.

The constitutional monarchies of Denmark and Sweden had ample occasion to issue commemorative coins in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Denmark issued ten unique 2 Kroner commemorative coins (15g, .800 Ag, .3858 ASW) between 1888 and 1953. All mark a milestone for the royal family including births, deaths, length of reign, or wedding anniversary, with the exception of the imaginative 1953 coin commemorating the Danish territory of Greenland. Mintage’s range from approximately 100,000 to 300,000 for each coin, making these commems rare, but certainly not exorbitantly expensive. Sweden issued five unique 2 Kronor commemorative coins (15g, .800 Ag, .3858 ASW) and one 5 Kronor commem (25g, .900 Ag, .7234) between 1897 and 1938. With the exception of the 1897 Silver Jubilee coin (which may be the most visually stunning of the lot), these Swedish coins commemorate national and historical achievements, including the 500th Anniversary of the Riksdag (Parliament) and a curiosity for collectors of American coinage, the 300th Anniversary of the Swedish Settlement of Delaware.
Commemorative coins are one of the best ways to combine a love of history with a passion for numismatics. Whether systematic or non-systematic, European commems offer a less expensive (Germany excluded) but equally enjoyable alternative to collecting the classic commemorative coins of the United States. For me, the hunt for classic commems on both sides of the pond continues. After all, what’s a coin collector in Atlanta without the 1925 Stone Mountain Half Dollar coin?