Rare 2 euro coin with Schmidt: Supermarket customer hits the jackpot!

Rare 2 euro coin with Schmidt: Supermarket customer hits the jackpot!

A real cutie recently amazed a supermarket customer on Reddit. While he was shopping at Hofer, the Austrian subsidiary of Aldi, he was given a 2 euro commemorative coin with the portrait of Helmut Schmidt as change. This little piece of coin history immediately caught the attention of the community, but opinions on it vary. One user described the coin as a “jackpot,” which hits the nerve of the times, especially among collectors and history-conscious coin lovers.

The 2 euro commemorative coin is part of a limited edition issued in 2018 to mark the centenary of Helmut Schmidt's birth. The front shows a portrait of the former Chancellor, framed by pendants such as the inscription “HELMUT SCHMIDT” and the years “1918-2015”. There is also the mint mark “D”, which indicates the mint in Munich, as well as the artist’s initials “BB” for Bodo Broschat.

A mixed response

As is often the case with such finds, the Reddit post drew a mixed response. Many users expressed skepticism about the coin's actual value. Critics pointed out that the coin, with a mintage of over six million, is not considered special or rare. The coin also lacked the characteristic cigarette that Schmidt often held in public. One thing is certain, however: the collecting world has its own rules, and the intrinsic value of such pieces can be enormous for their owners.

By the way, although there are some offers on platforms like eBay that present prices that are well above the official value, this is often not the reality. Coin dealers state that the coin with the mint mark “D” costs around 4.95 euros, which reduces its potential in the collecting community. When it comes to the rarity of this coin, the rarity index is 5 on a scale of 0 to 100, indicating that many collectors have it in their inventory.

What is the coin really worth?

But beyond the numbers, it's the story that makes this coin so special. The back shows the map of the European continent without borders and has the inscription: “UNITY AND LAW AND FREEDOM”. This symbolism appeals not only to those interested in history, but also to one or two nostalgic contemporaries who may have consciously experienced Schmidt's chancellorship.

So the question remains: What is a commemorative coin really worth? The ideal value may be very high for the group of people who appreciate Schmidt's work and understand the history of Germany and Europe in all its facets. The fact is that the market for such coins is always changing, and whether they are viewed as a pure collector's item or as an investment is ultimately up to individual taste.