World Coins

Silver medal from Germany celebrates ‘Beetlemania’

A silver medal issued in 1961 celebrates the German auto-maker Volkswagen upon production of its five millionth car as a company following rebirth after World War II.

Images courtesy of Emporium Hamburg.

A famous German automobile company left in wreckage at the end of World War II was reborn after the war and in 1961 celebrated a major milestone.

That was the year the modern iteration of Volkswagen, refounded in 1945, produced its five millionth Volkswagen automobile.


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A silver medal from Germany celebrating the milestone is offered in Emporium Hamburg’s auction No. 78, scheduled for April 25 and 26.

The obverse of the silver medal depicts Heinz Heinrich Nordhoff, the German engineer who led the company after the war in its Wolfsburg, Germany, home. His signature also appears, in relief.

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The reverse of the medal shows the iconic VW Beetle, with an inscription announcing the milestone reached in the manufacturing period, in part due to demand for the auto design in post-war Europe and America.

The medal weighs 25.11 grams and measures 40 millimeters in diameter. The auction house grades the medal as Extremely Fine.

It has an opening bid of €60 ($64 U.S.).

To learn more about the auction, visit the firm’s website.


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