the German federal government has just decided which collector coins will be issued in 2008. (Yes, that last digit is an eight; 2007 is old hats ...)2 € - German states series: Hamburg - ADFGJ - 1 February
http://www.ecb.europa.eu/bc/euro/coins/com...omm_2008_de.jpg
This commemorative coin is the only 2008 piece of which the design is already known. It shows St. Michael's church in the city (and state) of Hamburg. That €2 coin will be legal tender (and actually circulate) in the entire currency union. The following six issues are collector coins (legal tender in the issuing member state only):
10 €: Carl Spitzweg (born 200 years ago) - D - 7 February
http://www.bbr.bund.de/DE/WettbewerbeAussc...rty=default.jpg
http://www.bbr.bund.de/DE/WettbewerbeAussc...rty=default.jpg
Spitzweg was a German/Bavarian artist; the ironical painting "The Poor Poet" http://www.carl-spitzweg.de/Galerie/Bilder...spitzweg001.jpg is probably his most famous work.
10 €: Max Planck (born 150 years ago) - F - 10 April
http://www.bbr.bund.de/DE/WettbewerbeAussc...rty=default.jpg
Max Planck was a 19-20c physicist; he is also depicted on the 2 DM circulation coins issued between 1957 and 1971 http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/comm...ck_2DM_grau.gif and on a GDR commem http://www.muenzenladen.de/nvCOM/images/ddr/5mark/8109.jpg issued in 1983.
10 €: Franz Kafka (born 125 years ago) - G - 10 July
http://www.bbr.bund.de/DE/WettbewerbeAussc...rty=default.jpg
Kafka was a writer (Der Prozess/The Trial) in the early 20c. He was born, and spent most of his life, in Prague - then part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, now Czech Republic. But he wrote primarily in German, and also lived in Berlin for some time (1923/24) shortly before he died.
10 €: 50 years Gorch Fock - J - 7 August
http://www.bbr.bund.de/DE/WettbewerbeAussc...rty=default.jpg
The ship "Gorch Fock" is a training sail vessel of the German navy. The current Gorch Fock was built in 1958 (the older one is a museum ship in Stralsund). A vessel of that type is also shown on the 10 DM notes issued between 1963 and 1990.
http://aes.iupui.edu/rwise/banknotes/Germa...ic/gfr031_b.jpg
100 € (gold) - Unesco World Cultural Heritage series: Goslar - ADFGJ - 1 October
http://www.bundesfinanzministerium.de/Shar...rty=default.jpg
That series of gold coins honors protected architectural ensembles, not single buildings. Previous issues were dedicated to the historic centers of Bamberg and Quedlinburg for example.
10 €: The Nebra Sky Disk - A - 9 October
http://www.bbr.bund.de/DE/WettbewerbeAussc...rty=default.jpg
The early bronze age "Himmelsscheibe von Nebra", found in 1999 under strange circumstances - more information at http://www.archlsa.de/sterne/ (page in German; the FAQ is in German and English).
(2007-12-05: Added the design images for the 2008 coins.)
(2008-02-06: Updated some 2008 dates of issue.)
Christian
