Haller Coin Exchange. Coin Fair

The Tyrolean Numismatic Society, supported by the Municipality of Hall in Tirol, Hall AG and Raiffeisen Regionalbank Hall in Tirol, is organising the 14th Hall Coin Fair on
Saturday 8 and Sunday 9 November 2025, the 14th Hall Coin Fair.

A wide range of coins from antiquity to the modern era, medals, orders, as well as collectors’ accessories and specialist literature will be on display. In addition to members of the Austrian Coin Dealers’ Association, numerous dealers from neighbouring countries, particularly from Germany and Italy, will also be presenting their stock. The Institute for Numismatics and Monetary History at the University of Vienna will also be represented. Free admission for visitors, competitions and an information stand run by the Tyrolean Numismatic Society will ensure an entertaining and highly interesting day.

The historic mint in Hall in Tyrol operated from 1477 to 1809. Its foundation marked the beginning of a new economic era for Austria. Whilst all Austrian mints had previously struck only fractional coins or small change for local use, and only rarely gold coins, it was in Hall that a large silver coin – the taler, with its sub-units (half-taler, quarter-taler, pounder and sixer) – was struck for the first time. This enabled coinage to meet the increased demand for money generated by the new large-scale economy and long-distance trade. At the same time, the large silver mine in nearby Schwaz supplied the necessary quantities of coinage metal for large minting runs. The high silver content and the associated stability of value of the Hall coins were maintained despite all temptations during times of economic crisis, earning them a reputation throughout Europe.

The minting of the first large silver coin in Hall from 1486 onwards was driven by the needs of major trading houses, such as the Fuggers; it was adopted for the whole of Austria at the instigation of Emperor Maximilian I and implemented on a broad scale by Emperor Ferdinand I. For over three hundred years, the taler was the most stable European silver coin.

In 1566, the Hall Mint brought about a revolution in coinage for the second time. The ever-increasing demand for money could no longer be met by the laborious process of hand-striking. In 1566, Archduke Ferdinand II of Tyrol commissioned the engineer Hans Vogler to introduce the first mechanical coin-striking process in Hall. The coin design was stamped onto a strip of silver, known as the ‘Silberzain’, using water power to drive two rotating metal rollers fitted with engraved dies. In the decades that followed, the ‘Haller coin-striking machine’ – known as roller minting – was introduced throughout Europe, for example in Ensisheim in 1584 and in Segovia in 1585. It was not until the 18th century that roller minting was replaced by modern impact minting machines and spindle presses. In Hall, commemorative or special coins had also been minted since 1504; these were not intended for circulation but were collected for their size and the beauty of their design. As early as 1600, Emperor Rudolf II remarked of these Hall commemorative coins or ‘Schautaler’: ‘that they are intended solely for decoration and safekeeping, and not for everyday expenditure’.
Nowhere else in Austria were so many and such a wide variety of commemorative coins struck as in Hall, and nowhere else was such care taken to ensure that they were made of fine silver and corresponded in value to the coins intended for circulation. Furthermore, renowned goldsmiths, acting as die cutters, were responsible for the artistic design of these special issues.

The die-cutters Ulrich Ursentaler (1508–1546), Jakob Berdolf (1569–1591), Peter Hartenpeck (1595–1616) and the members of the König family (1633–1747) created exquisite coin dies that set the standard far beyond the Austrian region. The high regard in which Hall coins are held amongst collectors is due not least to their artistic beauty. The mint at Hall was by no means a purely Tyrolean affair, for it functioned as a mint for the whole of Austria from 1490 to 1565, 1595 to 1602, 1620 to 1623 and 1665 to 1805 a mint serving the whole of Austria, as no provincial princes ruled in Tyrol during these periods. But even under the independent provincial princes, the Hall mint served as a model for the rest of Austria. Unlike other Austrian mints, it was never leased out, but always remained a state-run enterprise.
From 1596 onwards, even American silver—brought to Europe by Spain’s famous silver fleets—was minted in Hall. The efficiency of the Hall mint is confirmed by the fact that in 1596 alone, 360,000 talers bearing the portrait of Archduke Ferdinand II were minted on the orders of Emperor Rudolf II. However, it was also in Hall that the first coins were minted on behalf of the people as sovereigns, when, in 1809, Andreas Hofer had the famous ‘Hofer 20ers’ and ‘Hofer Kreuzers’ struck during the few months of Tyrol’s independence in the struggle against Napoleon’s oppressive rule.

These great achievements and distinctive features justify Hall’s aspiration to become a numismatic centre of Europe. A key factor in this is that the mint has been preserved almost intact. It comprises the impressive complex of Hasegg Castle, which was originally built to protect the salt works and was then significantly expanded by Emperor Maximilian I between 1500 and 1515. In addition to Emperor Maximilian’s beautiful Gothic chapel, it includes the Mint Gate of Hall’s town fortifications, featuring the coat-of-arms stone of the mint’s founder, Archduke Sigismund the Coin-Rich (1489), and the unique Mint Tower, the landmark of the town of Hall.

The museum at Hasegg Castle traces the historical development of coin-striking techniques. The Tyrolean Numismatic Society has set itself a further objective, in addition to its existing tasks (such as fostering closer ties amongst collectors or the scholarly study of the history of the Hall mint), namely to establish Hall as a numismatic centre of Europe.

The town of Hall is ideally suited for this due to its historical significance.