Freiberg, Germany, Germany Temple

History

The Freiberg temple is one that proves that miracles happen. In 1975, Elder Thomas S. Monson stood on a hill overlooking the Elbe River, along with a group of local Church leaders, and dedicated the land and its people. In his prayer he asked that Heavenly Father “instill within the citizenry a curiosity concerning the Church and a desire to learn more of our teachings.”* The German Saints had remained faithful during their years behind the Iron Curtain and wished to attend a temple and be sealed to their families for all eternity. Many, including Elder Monson, were involved in petitioning the government to allow Saints to attend the temple in Switzerland. The government was hesitant to allow whole families to the leave the country, fearing they would not return. Suddenly, in a meeting, the German minister said, “Why not build a temple in our country?”** The Church took him up on his miraculous offer to build the first temple in a communist country. More miracles were needed, though. No one but the government could own land in East Germany, yet the Church was granted ownership of the land. Another miracle included the purchase of the land with German Democratic Republic marks instead of Western currency. At the time of the open house four thousand members lived in the German Democratic Republic, the city of Frieberg had a population of forty thousand, but nearly ninety thousand people attended the open house! On June 29, 1985, the miraculous Freiberg temple was dedicated. The Berlin wall was torn down November 1989, only four years later. Elder Monson recorded in his journal, “Frequently people will ask, ‘How has it been possible for the Church to obtain permission to build a temple behind the Iron Curtain?’ My feeling is simply that the faith and devotion of our Latter-day Saints in that area brought forth the help of Almighty God and provided for them the eternal blessings which they so richly deserve.”***

How Temple Coins are Made

Dave started creating jewelry using metals in 1992, ten years later he had worked with nearly every metal in the jewelry industry! Moving to Thailand, he spent the next nine years perfecting his skills with various metals, 3D models and 3D printers. He dreamed of producing something that would bring delight to purchasers and carry with it positive feelings that would touch the souls of those who owned them. In 2014 he was able to realize his dream. Returning to the US, he uses Lost-wax casting to create a metal master from brass alloy for each temple of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, depicting, in the highest degree of definition possible, a coin with a 3D image of a temple. The reverse of each coin is cast with the words “Stand ye in holy places.”

Purchase one or two of the temples that hold special meaning to you. Commemorate your visit to a temple by picking up the corresponding coin. Celebrate a milestone in a loved one’s life by gifting them a temple coin to inspire them. Collect them all or just a few. Some are cast in precious metals, making each coin an investment that will be a treasure in every sense of the word.

Additional Information

• Free Shipping on orders over $35.
• All coins are 1 1/4 in.
• Pewter Coins are cast from lead free alloys.
• Brass Coins cast from a silicone, brass alloy.  Giving our brass coins a rich yellow gold color for a fraction of the cost of gold coins.
• Silver Coins are cast from an alloy of silver containing 92.5% by weight of silver and 7.5% by weight of other metals, usually copper.
• Gold Coins cast in 14K Gold are 58.5% pure gold.  The remaining alloy consists of a copper and silver mix.
• All of our coins are developed, cast, and finished locally in our facility in Logan, UT, U.S.A.

*Source note: Monson, “Faith Rewarded”, 103.
**Monson, “Faith Rewarded”, 88.
***Monson, “Faith Rewarded”, 105.