A new €10 collector coin has just been issued in Germany. The silver piece commemorates the 100th anniversary of the Nobel Peace Prize for Bertha von Suttner.



Bertha von Suttner was born in Prague (1843). In 1889 she wrote her most famous book, "Die Waffen nieder" (Lay Down Your Arms), and became one of the leaders of the late 19c/early 20c peace movement. In 1905 she was the first woman to be awarded the Nobel Peace Prize. She died in Vienna (1914, shortly before WW1 started ...) and was cremated in Gotha, Germany, at her request where her urn is kept in the Columbarium.

More about Suttner and Gotha (in German):
http://referenzen.mediaonline-gotha.de/bes...epage.asp?id=15
Large image (about 300K) of the coin's obverse:
http://www.pressedienst-numismatik.de/imag...vs_download.jpg
Large image (about 200K) of the coin's reverse:
http://www.pressedienst-numismatik.de/imag...rs_download.jpg

This is also the last coin to be distributed by the Federal Securities Administration (BWPV). The current contract that the federal government has with the BWPV ends on 31 December.

The new 10 year contract was won by the German postal service (Deutsche Post) which will distribute the coin sets in BU and prooflike, and the collector coins in prooflike condition as from 1 January. Uncirculated commemorative and collector coins are available from the branch offices of the central bank and many commercial banks.

Christian

What do the bodies under "Die Waffen Neider" represent?

I love Germany.

Victims of militarism and wars. The rectangles that "frame" both her portrait and the eagle represent the book, and the double (mirrored) B refers to the designer of the coin Bodo Broschat.

By the way, Bertha von Suttner is also depicted on the Austrian €2 circulation coin:



A little hard to recognize maybe, but more "typical" I think. The German commem shows her as a young woman - when she got the Nobel Prize (and that is after all what the coin commemorates), she was older. But I like the idea of combining the portrait and the book ...

Christian

Well, it's quite OK. And in case that was a subtle hint - I have two deadlines next week, so I don't know yet when I'll have the time to go the bank. But usually they are not "sold out" very quickly ...

Christian

You probably know by now, I'll take anything I can get from there except the bimets. But in reality. I really do love Germany.

Thanks for the information!