The numismatic modern era began in Europe around 1500 in the Habsburg lands with the creation of the thaler. Archduke Sigismund der Münzreiche (1439-1490) first began minting the Tyrolean guildergroschen in 1486. With this large silver coin worth a Rhenish gold guilder, he provided the template for the most successful European coin type of the next 400 years. The name for this successful model was provided by the Counts of Schlick with their Joachimstal silver mine, from which the name "thaler" is derived. 

The thaler spread throughout Europe and beyond in the following centuries. It became the most important European silver trade coin of the 16th-19th centuries. However, since the thaler was produced in countless territories, the respective sovereigns gave their silver coins an individual minting. Thus the popular European thaler was also minted under different names: in Scandinavia as Rigsdaler, in Italy as Tallero, in Spain as Peso, in France as Ecu, in England as Crown and even in the USA as Dollar.

Since the modern mintage of European trade coins is almost unmanageable in the totality of its variety of types and images, only a few special features can be pointed out at this point. Even in a comparatively small country like Switzerland, there were more than 800 coin variants in circulation in the middle of the 19th century, as there were a large number of mints. In German states, too, several coinage systems existed until the founding of the German Empire. It was not until the introduction of the mark in 1871 that it was possible to pay with a single currency in Germany - regardless of the part of the country.

Whether in the form of thalers, pesos, scudos or crowns - the enormous quantities of precious metal mined made it possible for the minting masters to immortalise large-scale and diverse motifs on money and put them into circulation. In the coinage images of European coins we find the portraits of almost all of Europe's famous personalities: the "Virgin Queen" Elizabeth I (1558-1603), the "Lord Protector" Oliver Cromwell (1656-1658), the "Sun King" Louis XIV. (1643-1715), the "Emperor of the French" Napoléon Bonaparte (1804-1814/1815), Gustav II Adolf (1611-1632), the "Lion from the North" or even Johann III Sobieski (1674-1696), the "Saviour of Vienna" - they have all left their mark on coinage and medals and are part of the history of Europe. In addition to the Hellenistic-Roman tradition of depicting portraits of rulers, modern European coins also showed novel designs from politics, religion and ways of thinking. From the 17th century onwards, city views were added as a new motif.

But it is not only Europe's turbulent coinage history that can be traced on the basis of the coin designs. Sometimes the form and messages of the coins even influenced the historical developments of the time. From the 16th to the early 19th century, for example, Spain minted coins with a crude die cut on partially angular blanks made of silver from the mines of Mexico and Peru. Popularly, these coinages were called "ship money" because they were thought to have been created during the passage from the colonies. During the French Revolution, a coinage system based on the decimal system was introduced for the first time in a European country in 1795, with the franc as the standard silver coinage.

In addition to the original historical coins of the various epochs, European commemorative and special coins are now sought-after collector's items. In contrast to coins, which were considered official legal tender in Europe, commemorative and special coins are counted as medals. 

Coins were and are produced on behalf of the state, which has the prerogative to issue them. They are produced in state mints and usually bear an imprinted denomination. On modern coins you often find three mintings: the value or the nominal and the monetary unit, the country or the community of states as well as the year of minting. Of course, there are exceptions here as well, which only showed the head of the ruler, the monogram of the minting lord or only the nominal. European coins of past eras and currencies of dissolved states have lost their validity as means of payment, but have gained in collector's value as contemporary witnesses of Europe's eventful history.

In contrast to coins, which are minted for payment transactions, medals may be produced on behalf of private companies. They have no face value and were produced in modern times as commemorative coinage on the occasion of anniversaries, birthdays and deaths of important personalities or significant historical events. Commemorative coins of numerous European countries such as France, Austria or Switzerland were minted on special occasions and sometimes even from solid silver or finest gold. To this day, commemorative coins or complete sets of coins are issued on special themes. Rare European medals are coveted by coin collectors not only because of their material value, they also have a high emotional value due to their connection to a special theme or historical moment.

In addition to the classical coin forms and numerous special coinages in Europe, there are also hermaphrodite forms: In Sweden, for example, large copper plates weighing several kilos were created as a means of payment in the 17th/18th centuries due to the lack of silver. In England, for lack of small change, numerous private coinages (tokens) with a variety of attractive motifs were created at the same time. An interesting hybrid form of coin and medal are also the screw medals or screw talers - hollow-stamped medal boxes with inlaid series of pictures made of coloured paper. 

In addition, the numerous restrikes of common coin types also form a popular collecting area for European coins: For example, the Dutch Löwentaler (Leeuwendaaler) was imitated by numerous mints in Germany, Denmark and Italy in the 17th century. The extensive military undertakings of modern times also left behind a wealth of emergency and siege money, e.g. in the form of square klippen (from Swedish klippe = "to cut with scissors").

Experience the exciting history of the European continent through its diverse coin and medal images and learn more about the extensive field of European coin collecting: 

• Davenport, J. S.: European Crowns 1484-1600, Frankfurt a. M. 1977. 
• Davenport, J. S.: European Crowns 1600-1700, Galesburg 1974. 
• Davenport, J. S.: European Crowns 1700-1800, London 1964. 
• Davenport, J. S.: European Crowns since 1800, London 1964. 
• Krause Publications (Krause/Mishler), Standard Catalog of World Coins (1601-Date), 5 volumes, Iola 2012 (annually updated edition). Friedberg, A. L. / Friedberg, I. S.: Gold Coins of the World. From ancient times to the present, 8th edition, Clifton 2009. 
• Schön, G. / Kahnt, H.: Weltmünzkatalog 19. Jahrhundert (1801-1900), 16th edition, Regenstauf 2013 (annually updated edition). 

The listed catalogues only provide an overview of the collecting field of European coins. There are numerous special catalogues for interested collectors on the individual countries and regions.