# Composers/Musicians on Coins?



## Barelytenor (Nov 19, 2011)

So, being a numismatist as well as a singer/musician, on one of my Coin forums that I visit, I enjoyed a thread entitled "Numismatic Song Thread" (Are there songs about coins?) so much that I started thinking about the converse. Are there coins with composers or musicians on them?

I'll start:
--Austria 2 Schilling 1932: Josef Haydn (KM-2848)
--Austria 2 Schilling 1931: Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (KM-2847)
--Austria 2 Schilling 1930: Walter von der Vogelweide, (minstrel/Meistersinger, model for Wagner's opera Die Meistersinger) (KM-2845)
--Austria 2 Schilling 1928: Franz Schubert (KM-2843)
--Austrian Philharmonic bullion coins depict several orchestral instruments and the concert hall (I think)

Your turn ... Are you aware of any coins with musicians, composers, musical instruments, or other music-related themes from your country or others? 

Best Regards,

George


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## jani (Jun 15, 2012)

I am proud owner of 3x Mozart euro coins!
I know that they are not so rare but i want to have them as much as possible.


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## joen_cph (Jan 17, 2010)

As regards Denmark I only know of a bank-note:








It has now been replaced by a series with motifs of bridges + prehistoric finds.


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## elgar's ghost (Aug 8, 2010)

Sadly I can't remember any British composers on any money apart from Edward Elgar on a now out-of-circulation £20 note (wouldn't like to say about stamps).


It's Benjamin Britten's centenary next year and it would be nice if it could be commemorated this way.


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## Barelytenor (Nov 19, 2011)

joen_cph said:


> As regards Denmark I only know of a bank-note:
> View attachment 6877
> 
> 
> It has now been replaced by a series with motifs of bridges + prehistoric finds.


Who is on the note? I can't quite make it out ... thanks.


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## joen_cph (Jan 17, 2010)

Oops, forgot to mention - Carl Nielsen, slightly edited


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## elgar's ghost (Aug 8, 2010)

Barelytenor said:


> Who is on the note? I can't quite make it out ... thanks.


That's Carl Nielsen. The signature is of Jens Thomsen who is one of the bank's bigwigs.


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## Klavierspieler (Jul 16, 2011)

George Enescu on the Romanian leu:









Arthur Honegger on the Swiss franc:









Jean Sibelius on a Finnish mark:


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## almgl (Oct 4, 2012)

*Music coin collecting*

Hello, everyone. I stumbled on this site quite by accident today and was very pleased to see some interest in collecting coins with musical themes...composers, instruments, conductors, famous performers....I have been collecting music related coins for many years and have 8 categories and I am guessing well over 200 coins (no medals or tokens but including NCLT's (Non circulating Legal tender issues). Though my collection is not stored at home, and far from complete, I do have inventories of each category with identification numbers (Standard Catalog of World Coins) mintages, dates and condition (grade). If there is any interest, I can scan my lists and over several posts here, will advise interested collectors of MANY beautiful (and some not so beautiful) coins with music themes. Please reply here and I will watch to see if there is any interest.

Thanks. Music coin collectors are a very rare breed indeed and it would be nice to be able to help out some collectors with a similar interest. Alan


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## SiegendesLicht (Mar 4, 2012)

A 10-Euro coin with Wagner's profile is going to be issued in 2013.


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## Morgante (Jul 26, 2012)

I have:

Mozart in the 1 € coin.









Bellini in the 5000 Lire banknote. (With an illustration of Norma in the back side)









Verdi in the 1000 Lire banknote. (With an illustration of Teatro alla Scala in the back side)


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## almgl (Oct 4, 2012)

elgars ghost said:


> Sadly I can't remember any British composers on any money apart from Edward Elgar on a now out-of-circulation £20 note (wouldn't like to say about stamps).
> 
> It's Benjamin Britten's centenary next year and it would be nice if it could be commemorated this way.


Hello. Actually, Elgar has been recognized on 2 coins but not by Great Britain per se. In 2005 the Cook Islands issued an Elgar coin but it is unlisted in the World Coin Catalogs. I do not know the denomination and I have not been able to locate an example of the coin. Alderny also issued a coin to honor Elgar. It is a 5 pound piece issued in 2007 in Copper-nickel, silver, and gold (KM-159, 159a and 159b). I was able to obtain the silver piece after a considerable hunt. Alan U.S.A.


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## Hassid (Sep 29, 2012)

Oistrakh Russian silver proof commemorative coin.


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## almgl (Oct 4, 2012)

Coins have been issued to honor all of these composers. (George Enescu, Arthur Honegger [mentioned by another collector in this thread] and Jean Sibelius as pictured in a post above with 3 notes featuring these composers.

Enescu, Romania 500 Lei KM-__ 2005 Proof (issued in Tombac) Essay? mintage 15? The Standard Catalog of World Coins lists KM-206 as an almost 1 ounce gold coin. Interestingly, my example is Tombac, certified as genuine by NGC and Proof. Investigation and contacting the mint in Romania seems to suggest that this was an "unauthorized" issue with a mintage believed to be 15. I don't know the circumstances of the existance of this coin but the design is identical to the gold example that is listed in the coin catalogs. An example can be seen here: http://romaniancoins.org/500lei05enescu.html

Jean Sibelius has been honored by Finland with 2 beautiful commemorative coins. They are 100 and 1000 Maarkka issued in 1999Their catalog numbers are KM-89 and 90. The 100 Markka is relatively easy to find with several recently (currently?) offered on E-Bay U.S.A.. The 1000 Markka is gold and was harder to locate.


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## Sid James (Feb 7, 2009)

Opera singer Dame Nellie Melba is on Australia's 100 dollar note:








RE our coins there are native animals on those, and the Queen's head. Percy Grainger could be on a note, maybe, but he was out of the country for a lot of his life, and he's maybe a bit wierd for the establishment to consider putting on a note. But its good Dame Nellie is on this note.


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## Andreas (Apr 27, 2012)

Clara Wieck Schumann on the old German 100-DM bill.


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## elgar's ghost (Aug 8, 2010)

almgl said:


> Hello. Actually, Elgar has been recognized on 2 coins but not by Great Britain per se. In 2005 the Cook Islands issued an Elgar coin but it is unlisted in the World Coin Catalogs. I do not know the denomination and I have not been able to locate an example of the coin. Alderny also issued a coin to honor Elgar. It is a 5 pound piece issued in 2007 in Copper-nickel, silver, and gold (KM-159, 159a and 159b). I was able to obtain the silver piece after a considerable hunt. Alan U.S.A.


Of the Channel Islands I was aware that Guernsey and Jersey had their own coins but not Alderney! Thanks, Alan - nice post.


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## Norse (May 10, 2010)

Kirsten Flagstad is on the Norwegian 100 kroner bill.


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## BurningDesire (Jul 15, 2012)

I vote Ives for some American bill :3 perhaps the 20, get that **** Andrew Jackson off that. ^_^


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## graaf (Dec 12, 2009)

You've never heard of him before, but there's a first time for everything:










Stevan Stojanović Mokranjac


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## SuperTonic (Jun 3, 2010)

When I was in Hungary about 15 years ago I seem to recall seeing Bartok on one of their notes. If I recall correctly it was the 1000 forint note.

Edit: Yes, it was the 1000 forint note. It looks like it has changed since then though. Here is an image of the old note.


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