How a political blunder led to the Fall of the Berlin Wall

The Berlin Wall is perhaps the most iconic symbol of the Cold War. A tall concrete barricade that divided the citizens of Germany for almost three decades. Numerous people risked their lives to cross the wall, whether digging tunnels underneath, flying over in a hot air balloon, or even driving cars under checkpoint barriers! But in 1989 that all changed when the world watched a press conference that all went a bit wrong…

A press conference that went wrong

For many months throughout 1989, there was mounting pressure on the government to adjust the restrictions around the boarder wall in Berlin. On the evening of November 9th 1989, the East German Party leader held a press conference announcing some loosening of the restrictions. But he hadn’t been briefed properly.

Gunter Schabowski broadcast the relaxing of some of the travel laws, but when asked when the freedom of movement would happen, he simply shrugged his shoulders, glanced at his notes, and said “right away.”

And that was it. A single moment, the most iconic in recent history, caused by an accident.

93221855 e442b76ff8 - How a political blunder led to the Fall of the Berlin Wall
Image Credit: “Fall of the Berlin Wall 1989” by gavinandrewstewart is licensed under CC BY 2.0

After almost 30 years of physical separation, crowds of people swarmed to the Berlin Wall checkpoints in anticipation of reuniting with loved ones and passing into the West freely.

Because of the confusion, the East German border guards had not been warned and were utterly overwhelmed by the crowds. At first they were told to stamp passports with symbols that effectively revoked East German citizenship, but as the crowds grew larger it became clear that unless lethal force was used, that the wall was no longer impassable. And no one was willing to give that order.

The Night the wall fell

That evening saw celebrations throughout Berlin, with people climbing the wall and taking pickaxes and hammers to break it apart and pull it down. Pieces and fragments of the wall were chipped away, with many pocketing pieces as souvenirs.

Families and loved ones reunited, as those from East Berlin were greeted with flowers and food. After years with limited contact, media censorship and restrictions, the people of Berlin were free to travel as and where they wanted.

The official reunification

Almost a year later, on 3rd October 1990, the German flag was raised over the Brandenburg Gate in Berlin. It symbolised the moment at which the two German countries were finally reunified as the unification treaty became official.

5261315154 8748505640 b - How a political blunder led to the Fall of the Berlin Wall
BERLIN — Fireworks illuminate Berlin’s Brandenburg Gate as Germans celebrate the 20th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall, Nov. 9. U.S. Army Europe members participated in many of the events saluting the anniversary. (Photo by Richard Bumgardner)

Every year the German Day of Unity is celebrated throughout the country, with fireworks, meals, concerts speeches, and of course commemoratives. This year marks the 30th anniversary, and despite the coronavirus restrictions around the world, the people of Germany will still be celebrating and remembering the moment the country was untied again.


If you’re interested…

Today you can commemorate the historic moment in which Germany was brought together again by owning THREE commemorative coins alongside an original piece of the Berlin Wall in the Reunification of Germany Collection.

ls german reunification set lifestyle 2 - How a political blunder led to the Fall of the Berlin Wall

This collection has a tiny edition limit of JUST 200. Considering the anniversary this year, and the popularity of difficult to source one-off historic products like this, the edition limit is expected to sell out completely.

Click here to order yours now >>

Introducing the BRAND NEW Winnie the Pooh 50p Coin Range

The Royal Mint has just authorised for release 3 BRAND NEW UK 50ps featuring characters from the beloved children’s book Winnie the Pooh, created by A.A. Milne.

This is the first time these characters have featured on a UK coin, and are the first coins in a classic 9-coin collection that will be released over 3 years.

The coins feature a nostalgic design by The Walt Disney Company that’s reminiscent of the classic illustrations by E.H. Shepard which feature in the novels, and as such are sure to be adored by fans and collectors of all ages.

Take a look below at the full range available:

2020 UK CERTIFIED BU 50p

This is your chance to be ahead of the crowd and secure your 2020 Winnie the Pooh 50ps in superior Brilliant Uncirculated condition for just £4.50 (+p&p) each.

Each coin will come protectively encapsulated in Official Change Checker packaging to ensure that their superior quality is preserved forever.

cc packaging front - Introducing the BRAND NEW Winnie the Pooh 50p Coin Range

Click here to order the UK 2020 Winnie the Pooh CERTIFIED BU 50p now >>

Click here to order the UK 2020 Christopher Robin CERTIFIED BU 50p now >>
Click here to order the UK 2020 Piglet CERTIFIED BU 50p now >>

Official Royal Mint Brilliant Uncirculated Coin Pack

Each coin has been struck to Brilliant Uncirculated quality, so you know they will be free from any of the marks or blemishes you would find on coins in your change. They each come beautifully presented in bespoke packaging from The Royal Mint that is Winnie the Pooh themed, and are each available at The Royal Mint issue price of JUST £10 (+p&p).

uk 2020 winnie the pooh bu pack product page images pack front - Introducing the BRAND NEW Winnie the Pooh 50p Coin Range

Click here to order the UK 2020 Winnie the Pooh BU Pack 50p now >>

Click here to order the UK 2020 Christopher Robin BU Pack 50p now >>
Click here to order the UK 2020 Piglet BU Pack 50p now >>

Limited Edition UK 2020 Silver Proof 50p

Struck from .925 Silver to a pristine Proof finish, JUST 18,000 of each of these Silver Proof 50ps will ever be available worldwide. This small number of coins is sure to sell-out quickly. Especially as the edition limit is significantly LESS than the 25,000 edition limit of the SOLD OUT Gruffalo Silver Proof 50p.

Each coin is available today for The Royal Mint’s official issue price of ONLY £67.50 (+p&p).

uk 2020 winnie the pooh silver proof 50p product page images perspex box 2 - Introducing the BRAND NEW Winnie the Pooh 50p Coin Range

Click here to order the UK 2020 Winnie the Pooh Silver Proof 50p now >>

Click here to order the UK 2020 Christopher Robin Silver Proof 50p now >>
Click here to order the UK 2020 Piglet Silver Proof 50p now >>

Each new 50p is also available in an extremely limited Gold Proof edition. However, we have already SOLD-OUT of our full allocation of the UK 2020 Winnie the Pooh Gold Proof 50p Coin and now only limited numbers remain of the Christopher Robin and Piglet Gold Proof 50p coins. These are still available to pre-order here, but you must act now whilst stocks last.

Don’t miss out on owning the new UK Winnie the Pooh, Christopher Robin and Piglet 50p coins. Click here to view the full range now >>

The making of a true Masterpiece…

Each year Remembrance Sunday provides an opportunity for the nation to reflect on those brave men and women who gave their lives fighting for our freedom. But this year will be especially poignant. As we also commemorate the 80th Anniversary of one of the truly remarkable chapters in our nation’s history – the Battle of Britain.

Introducing the official 2020 Remembrance Masterpiece Silver 5oz Poppy Coin

CL 2020 RBL Master Piece Poppy product images lifestyle 1 1 - The making of a true Masterpiece…

There is one coin that avid collectors await the release of – the “Masterpiece Poppy Coin”. The name says it all. Cutting edge minting techniques and materials, representing the pinnacle of craftsmanship. But let me explain what makes this year’s Masterpiece Poppy so special…

This year marks the 80th anniversary of the Battle of Britain. Take a look at the images and you’ll see that a single stylised Royal British Legion poppy, proudly sits on top of this coin. Multiple poppies have then been engraved into the surface of the coin, resulting in an exceptional 3 dimensional effect.

But the incredibly rare facet of this year’s poppy coin is that it’s been crafted from a genuine piece of Spitfire.

Expertly crafted from a Spitfire with a remarkable story to tell

Incredibly, this year, the silver poppy that adorns the reverse of each of these coins has been made from a piece of Spitfire PM631 – ensuring each coin is uniquely different and features a piece of tangible aerial history.

Originally built in late 1945, the Spitfire PM631 saw service with the Battle of Britain memorial flight for nearly FIFTY years between 1957 and 2006. You may also remember that it had a starring role in a famous WWII Movie – Battle of Britain, made in 1969.

Spitfire PM631 1 - The making of a true Masterpiece…

Once the Spitfire piece has been melted down and poured into a shaped mould, it is cooled and cleaned to create the high-relief poppy. After this, it is laser engraved with the official Spitfire plane from which the metal was taken – PM631. Check out the images below to see the process the Spitfire metal goes through to come a Masterpiece poppy…

But even then, it is important to remember, this is NOT a cast piece. The surface of the coin has actually been struck in sterling silver and has then expertly plated in 24ct gold. The finish is a stunning matte appearance achieved using a technique called ‘Sandblasting’. This means it has all of the detail that you expect from a commemorative coin but allows you to touch the coin and hold a genuine, iconic piece of history in the palm of your hand.

As I am sure you can appreciate, given all of the individual elements that have to be carefully curated for each individual coin, the edition limit as a consequence is incredibly low. In fact, only 300 of these coins have been produced, with number one fittingly being donated to The Royal British Legion themselves. Which means only 299 coins remain for collectors.

We do not expect these coins to be around for long. And remember, for each coin sold a donation will go straight to The Royal British Legion in support of all their work.

Available now – with a donation to The Royal British Legion

CL 2020 RBL Master Piece Poppy product images box 1 - The making of a true Masterpiece…

The 2020 Masterpiece 5oz Silver Proof Poppy Coin is available to own right now from The Westminster Collection, although they are expected to sell out quickly.

Click here to secure yours >>

To further support the work of The Royal British Legion, a donation of £59.50 from the sale of each coin will go directly to the charity, helping them to continue to provide financial, social and life-long support to the Armed Forces community.

£1,100,000 Milestone

What’s more, since our partnership began and through the sales of commemorative Remembrance and Poppy-themed coins, collectors have helped raise an incredible £1.1 Million for The Royal British Legion!

This is an achievement that everyone is immensely proud of, and we are hugely thankful to collectors for helping raise such an amazing amount.

If you’d like to find out more about the fantastic work that The Royal British Legion do and why we are so proud of this milestone £1.1 Million that has been raised for the charity, then click here to read more…

Click here to view the complete range of 2020 Remembrance Poppy coins issued in support of the Royal British Legion >>