German currency is some of the oldest modern and ancient currencies you can find. Germany, formed from the many city states, such as Prussia and Brandenburg, is one of the dominant powers in Europe. Germany, being one of my favorite countries, sticks out to me and many others for being so old and unique.  The oldest German Currency you can find would be that of the German city states commonly known as the 'Thaler'.  The 'Thaler' comes in many odd denominations being that is a pre decimal currency;  it is not uncommon to find 1/12 1/24 and 1/3 Thalers.  I happen to have a 1/12 Thaler from 1693 (NGC 2654394-003 if you are interested in seeing it) and it is the oldest dated coin that I own.  After the states ended slow unification in the area occurred with countries such as Prussia coming into existence.  This was short lived and was succeded by the German Empire.  The German Empire used the very first incarnation of the Mark.  The German Empire was defeated in World War I and was followed by the Weimar Republic.  The Weimar Republic was doomed from the start with the 'Papiermark' (Papermark)  being worth so little that it was used for wallpaper.  Coins from this era are harder to find than most others but hyperinflation notes are readily available.  After the Weimar Republic Nazi Germany was founded with Adolph Hitler as the 'Führer' (leader).  Nazi Germany used the Reichsmark, however, it was used briefly in Weimar Republic as well.  Coins from this era are often collected for the Swastika and non Swastika varieties.  The Reichsmark was used shortly after the war as well.  After the Nazis fell the divided Germany was formed.  Divided German used the now readily available Deutschmark.  The Deutschmark was used even after the reunification until 2002 when Germany (unfortunately) adopted the Euro.  The Euro coins are available in special German issues to add variety to the currency which I heavily dislike.  The history of the German currency is one of the most interesting histories of any European currencies.  Germany has a bright future ahead with many Euro Commemoratives ready to be minted.  Germany also has a large number of mints with them being labled in alphabetical order.  The subunit of the Mark was the pfennig and replaced the fractions on the Thaler.  German Currency is highly collectable with many people specializing in the field.

-Peyton Smith