A 2011 German €2 is listed at €6,000

Diario de Navarra (Ana Mª Esparza Aós, 31 August 2026) notes that, among the commemorative €2 coins that turn up with summer travel, there is a German 2011 issue for North Rhine-Westphalia. On selling platforms, the note says, one example with an unspecified error has been listed at €6,000.

Cologne in the Länder series

Germany began in 2006 a €2 commemorative series for the 16 federal states. The 2011 coin is for Nordrhein-Westfalen, then holding the rotating presidency of the Bundesrat. The state government chose Cologne Cathedral, a World Heritage site: the national side shows the full south facade, with “NORDRHEIN-WESTFALEN” under the building. The invited contest went to Heinz Hoyer, also the designer of the federal eagle on Germany’s circulating €1 and €2 national sides.

The core carries the engraver’s initials and the mint letter (A, D, F, G or J). On the ring are the twelve EU stars, a D (Deutschland) at the top and the year at the bottom. The edge reads “EINIGKEIT UND RECHT UND FREIHEIT”. It is bimetallic: 8.5 g, 25.75 mm, and 2.2 mm thick. The note adds that the state returns on the 2027 €2, this time with Aachen Cathedral.

Mintage and the €6,000 listing

The cited total is 30,925,000 pieces: about 30 million for circulation, 459,000 BU, and 466,000 proof. Stuttgart (F) struck the largest share. A five-mint uncirculated set is offered, according to the source, for about €30; the BU euroset, for about €120.

That is not the headline figure: the €6,000 is an eBay asking price for a 2011 coin with an error the article does not identify. It is not the price of an ordinary Cologne €2, nor a documented hammer. More detail in Diario de Navarra (opens in a new tab).