World coins chat: Liechtenstein

The Principality of Liechtenstein is a tiny country in the Alps between Switzerland and Austria. It has a population of 37,000.


Flag of Liechtenstein

History
Liechtenstein is named after a castle with the same name in Lower Austria, which is owned by the country's ruling family. The Liechtensteins owned many estates in Austria and Bohemia and purchased lands in present-day Liechtenstein in 1699 and 1712. In 1718 Emperor Charles VI created the principality of Liechtenstein, which now had become a sovereign member state of the Holy Roman Empire.

Austria's defeat at the Battle of Austerlitz in 1805 ended the Holy Roman Empire one year later, leaving Liechtenstein de facto independent. It joined the Confederation of the Rhine, a French client state. After Napoleon's defeat Liechtenstein joined the German Confederation, which was ruled by the Austrian Emperor. The Austro-Prussian War of 1866 ended the confederation's existence and Liechtenstein became a neutral and fully independent nation, although it remained closely tied with Austria-Hungary.

The First World War forced Liechtenstein to seek close ties to neutral Switzerland, with which it entered in a customs and monetary union. After World War 2 the princely family developed the country into a tax haven, attracting many wealthy immigrants. This backlashed during the financial crisis of 2008, with Germany and the USA demanding information about tax evasion of its citizens. The situation has normalised since 2009 and Liechtenstein still has a strong financial sector.

Liechtenstein is very wealthy with its citizens enjoying a very high average income. The country is not a member of the EU but does take part in the Schengen customs union and EEA.

Currency
Liechtenstein used Austrian currencies for centuries, but it did occasionally mint a small quantity of its own coins in the 18th and 19th century. From 1898 silver and gold coins denominated in Krone were minted for Liechtenstein. Due to the Krone's instability after World War 1 Liechtenstein entered a monetary union with Switzerland. Coins denominated in Francs were minted in 1924. Currently only Swiss money circulates in Liechtenstein. Some non-circulating legal tender denominated in Francs are still produced in the name of Liechtenstein.

https://en.numista.com/catalogue/liechtenstein-1.html

Thanks!

Also, can we get the Liechtenstein coins inside Liechtenstein? Are there such stores?

SRL

I was in Liechtenstein in 1982 and 1984 and found a coin shop in Vaduz on one of the trips. (I don't remember which one) I bought the three pieces of notgeld issued in Liechtenstein and remember they had them as sets in small stamp envelopes. They had to be cheap for a kid to be able to afford them. When I paid I remember the person behind the counter telling me they were "very, very old money" in English in a German accent. He was very nice to me considering I was 12-14 years old kid. I have often wondered if that shop is still there. However, I don't remember if there were any Liechtenstein coins for sale. At that age they would have been way out of my price range.

Quote: "SquareRootLolly"​Also, can we get the Liechtenstein coins inside Liechtenstein? Are there such stores?

​There is an unwritten numismatic rule that the value of a coin drops exponentially with the distance from its source. The chances of finding Liechtenstein coins are probably highest in Liechtenstein indeed, but you will also pay the highest price for it.