100 euro gold coin 2025 "Aus dem Leben eines Taugenichts"
The third motif of the 100 euro gold coin series "Masterpieces of German Literature" is dedicated to Joseph von Eichendorff’s novella “Memoirs of a Good-for-Nothing”.
Gold order period 18/03 – 09/04/2025
Sales prices to be announced.
Description Coin
First published in 1826, the novella is considered the high point of literary Romanticism, but also its swan song: a plea for an attitude to life based on love and not on an ethic of achievement. The deliberately reduced composition of the coin motif makes the novella’s suspenseful storyline intuitively recognisable. The extremes between which the musical protagonist moves are ingeniously staged: on the left, the dry customs office with pen, paper and abacus; on the right, the lyrical forest, female figure and floral decorations.
Background information
Eichendorff's first known work plans for the novella date from October 17, 1817. At this point, Eichendorff was 29 years old and was known primarily as a poet through a series of famous poems. While professional challenges and personal strokes of fate put a lot of pressure on him, his aversion to state regulation and the dictatorship of the market grew. This found expression in the artistically pronounced laissez-faire attitude of the "good-for-nothing."