Austrian Coins 1938-1945

Coins 1938-1945

Click on any image for a larger version.

Anschluss: Austria was annexed into Nazi Germany when German
troops entered the country on March 12, 1938. A Nazi government was
formed that was headed by Arthur Seyss-Inquart. Austria, now called
the Ostmark (Eastern March), was divided into seven administrative
districts under the central authority of the German Third Reich. This
union violated various international agreements but the European
powers offered only perfunctory opposition. Italy had agreed to the
invasion beforehand and in return Hitler later agreed to allow Italy to
retain the South Tirol despite his aggressive policies elsewhere to bring
all German populations into the Third Reich.

Britain was following a policy of appeasement in 1938 and was unwilling to risk war over Austria's
independence while France, traditionally the strongest foe of German unification, was incapable at
that time of unilateral military action.

After Austria was annexed into Germany in 1938, the Austrian National Mint in Wien (Vienna) minted
German coins instead of Austrian. From 1938-1944 the German coins that were minted at the
Vienna Mint are distinguishable by their "B" mintmark. It was assigned to the Vienna mint since
the mint-mark "B" hadn't been used in Germany since 1878 when Hanover stopped minting coins.

I am showing one example of each type of Nazi-German coin that was minted in Austria;
many other dates and mint marks of Nazi-Germany were minted.

1939-B One Pfennig
Copper, 2.0g, 17.5mm

1944-B One Pfennig
Zinc, 1.8g, 17mm

1939-B Two Pfennig
Copper, 3.33g, 20mm