Wohnlich, Hermann (1928-2008)

by Andreas Kaiser

Hermann Wohnlich was born in Landshut, Germany on 19 May 1928 and grew up in the town of his birth, as well as in München and in the Upper Bavarian community of Oberaudorf (located in the Inn Valley on the Austrian border).

He graduated from high school with a “Notabitur” degree in 1946. After an internship in a machine factory, he began studying civil engineering in München and eventually helped to rebuild the lecture halls at the Technical University of München. During the Second World War, 90 percent of the facilities in the main TU building in Maxvorstadt had been destroyed.

Hermann Wohnlich began studying mechanical engineering at the TU München in 1948. The warning he received that there was supposedly no demand for engineers turned out to be absolutely wrong. As early as 1953, the newly-qualified engineer found a job at a company in central Hesse, W. u. J. Moufang AG and Maria Soell Papierverarbeitungs-GmbH, in Oberschmitten. In the postwar period, the well-established company had developed into a major industry leader with “niche products” and “specialty” papers (e.g., for sweets and butter).

Hermann Wohnlich also found the love of his life at his new place of residence, Anneliese Wenzel from Schotten in the Vogelsberg region. The couple married in 1955, their son Stefan was born in the same year, and their son Martin in 1958. Herr Wohnlich was also fortunate and successful in his career: He became the Manager of a printing company for specialty paper in Oberschmitten and Eichelsdorf (now part of Nidda), which was a spin-off of his employers’ company.

Hermann Wohnlich caught the numismatic “bug” in 1941 at the age of thirteen, when his parents gave him a beautiful thaler of the Saxon Elector Johann Georg I from the time of the Thirty Years’ War. Although other pieces were added, it was not until 1970 that he began to systematically build up his collection. He had read in the Gießener Anzeiger newspaper about a coin auction taking place. It was the first auction for the Giessen coin dealership, which had just been founded by the students Dieter Gorny and Hans-Joachim Schramm. Hermann Wohnlich personally attended the auction in neighbouring Giessen on 16 November 1970 with his wife Anneliese, and acquired a gold guilder of the Tyrolean Archduke Sigismund “the Coin-Rich”.

His interest in numismatics was now awakened and he decided to build up a collection of Tyrolean coins, most of which had their origin at the mint in Hall. He joined the Tyrolean Numismatic Society shortly after its foundation in 1971. Initially, Hermann Wohnlich took part in numerous auctions himself. Once, when he acquired a forgery and a conflict arose with his supplier, Fritz Rudolf Künker – then chairman of the Association of German Coin Dealers – was able to mediate, and Herr Wohnlich received his purchase price back. Subsequently, a close relationship of trust and friendship developed between Herr Wohnlich and Herr Künker. Hermann Wohnlich became a loyal customer of the Künker company, through which he now also handled his purchases at other auctions. After Herr Wohnlich retired from active working life in 1985 at the age of 57, he moved with his wife to his home in Oberaudorf in the Inn Valley, and spent his retirement in that beautiful region until his death.

He began studying history and art history at the University of Innsbruck in 1986. His knowledge of numismatics was an asset in these studies, and the combination of the two fields gave him even more pleasure.

Hermann Wohnlich and his wife were also regular participants in the well-organised meetings of the Tyrolean Numismatic Society (TNG) in Hall, and were well acquainted with leading Tyrolean numismatists such as Prof. Heinz Tursky (1941-2023), the longtime President of the TNG, and the legendary collector Dr Ernst von Ferrari-Kellerhof (1921-2009).

This writer also has fond memories of good and trustful conversations at the TNG meetings in Hall.