Living in Germany

Why Germany has been minted as a coin carrying nation

Many people in Germany accumulate small change – in empty jars, boxes or piggy banks. Not just for World Savings Day on 31st October. Sometimes it’s just not so easy to get rid of your pennies.

offbeat

Viking Age treasures connected to legendary Danish king found on German island

Archaeologists have made an extraordinary discovery on the island of Rügen: they have recovered coins and jewellery which date back to the reign of the well-known Danish king Harald “Bluetooth” Gormsson (910-987).

Money

New 'see-through’ five-Euro coin unveiled in Munich

A brand-new five-Euro coin, which has a blue plastic ring in the middle, will make life harder for counterfeiters, the Bavarian finance ministry claims.

Money

Small town's big plan to ditch small change

Retailers in the small town of Kleve on Germany's border with the Netherlands have banded together in a movement to end the use of one- and two-cent coins.

Money

Germans want to keep their hands on cash

Confirming conservative stereotypes, Germans have come out strongly in favour of sticking to hard cash in conducting transactions, a survey published on Thursday showed.

Economy

Austrian coin trick confounds German border control

German investors have found a cunning way to get large amounts of money across the border from Austria, news magazine <i>Der Spiegel</i> reported on Wednesday. It's all down to a silver collector’s coin.