Since the introduction of euro banknotes and coins, a number of German euro collector coins have been issued every year, which are only legal tender in Germany. Issues of these coins in mint condition can be purchased at all Bundesbank branches.

In its function as Germany's central bank, the Bundesbank answers enquiries concerning historical German currencies and calculates long-term purchasing power equivalents.

The Counterfeit Money Unit's task is to examine and store counterfeit money of any currency which is seized in Germany or confiscated by the police. We also check the authenticity of payment cards, securities, traveller's cheques and gold and silver coins which are legal tender. Another focal point of our work is to prevent the circulation of counterfeit money.

Bundesbank’s external position stood at €854 billion at the end of December 2025, with claims from the TARGET2 payment system worth €1023 billion making up around 66 % of total assets. These are followed by international reserves, comprising gold and foreign exchange reserves, including the special drawing rights allocated by the International Monetary Fund (IMF), which account for a total of 25 % of assets. At 84 %, issuance of euro cash accounted for the bulk of liabilities. Deposits of non-euro area residents amount to 8 % of foreign liabilities.

On 11 October 2023, we will be turning our attention to gold. Register now for the online course.

“In a globally interconnected world, autonomy is an illusion,” Bundesbank President Joachim Nagel told the German “Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung” newspaper. But even so, Europe still needed to invest in certain areas in order to become more independent. Interviewed jointly with Martin Kocher, Governor of the Oesterreichische Nationalbank, they also spoke about the debt ratios of euro area countries, proposals for fiscal consolidation, and central bank independence.

Here you will find an overview of the publications relating to the collection.

Constans was the youngest son of Constantin I the Great. He was only a boy when his father accorded him the rank of Caesar (emperor-designate). With the death of Constantin I in 337, his three sons Constantin II, Constantius II and Constans adopted the title of Augustus and divided the empire amongst themselves.

Our historical archives contain sources which give an exact account of gold swap transactions with the central bank of the United States – the Fed. The sources show how the Bundesbank’s quality control procedures and its stringent requirements regarding the composition of its gold made an accurate settlement of accounts possible.