explore the Reformation through coins, medals, and fine art
The IARCM brings together rare objects, rich stories, and expert guidance to provide you with a fascinating journey into Reformation numismatics and Lutheran visual culture.
From sixteenth-century coins to modern commemorative medals to seventeenth-century oil paintings, the International Association of Reformation Coins and Medals (IARCM) helps collectors, scholars, museums — and the simply curious — explore one of the richest but most overlooked visual legacies in numismatics and fine art.
explore the amazing world of Martin Luther and the Reformation through struck, cast, and painted touchstones
IARCM opens this remarkable world to collectors, researchers, museums, churches — and the simply curious — through expert interpretation, curated resources, original publications, and access to one of numismatic’s most potentially rewarding collecting traditions.
Meet Your Guide
why collectors, scholars, and museums turn to iarcm and Dr. Harmelink
Historian, curator, author, and collector, Rev. Dr. Daniel Harmelink has spent decades studying the visual and material legacy of Martin Luther and the Reformation. As President of the IARCM, Executive Director of Concordia Historical Institute, and editor of REFORMATIO IN NUMMIS, he brings together deep historical interpretation, museum experience, publication work, and hands-on knowledge of Reformation medals, coins, and fine art. Online and in-person, he now offers his insights and seasoned guidance to collectors, scholars, and cultural institutions around the world.
expert scholarship
For over 20 years, Dr. Harmelink has served as editor, author, and contributor to major numismatic, historical, and cultural publications and translation projects in North America and Europe on subjects touching on Martin Luther and the Reformation.
expert curation
For over 40 years, Dr. Harmelink has served as curator of Reformation collections —as well as creative leader and designer of in-person and online exhibitions and interpretations of historically significant Reformation material.
expert consultation
For over 20 years, Dr. Harmelink has servied as a seasoned advisor to historical, numismatic, and cultural enthusiasts, collectors, institutional leaders, museum directors, exhibitors, and commemorative medal committees.
about iarcm
The International Association of Reformation Coins and Medals (IARCM) is dedicated to advancing the study, collection, and interpretation of Reformation numismatics and fine art worldwide. Through research, collaboration, and education, the association connects specialists and newcomers with a unique visual history often overlooked or misunderstood in many traditional narratives.
"Few fields of modern numismatics attracted the attention of collectors so early, or have been studied and published so carefully as the medals and coins relating to Luther and the Reformation.”
Henry Grunthal in The Numismatist, April 1943
IARCM is recognized by and partners with leading numismatic, historical, and cultural organizations in North America, South America, and Europe.
start with one remarkable object ...
explore this month's fascinating Reformation touchstone
Each month, Dr. Harmelink unlocks the secrets of one exceptional object from the IARCM collection—narrating what it is, why it was made, what symbols it uses, and what it reveals about the Reformation and its legacy. No prior expertise required.
the iarcm collection and your journey into the world of the Reformation
The IARCM Collection stands as one of the most important sources in advancing Reformation numismatics outside of Germany. Pieces in the iarcm collection are not simply rare collectibles; they are primary material witnesses to how confession, memory, politics, devotion, and identity were artfully expressed for the last 500 years.
500 years of Reformation memory in objects
Museum-quality collecting and interpretation
Publications, exhibits, and specialist guidance
Connections to international scholarship and medallic art
we're at the ready to advance your personalized journey into Reformation numismatics and fine art
Whether you are a private collector, museum professional, church body, donor, publisher, researcher — or simply wondering explorer — the IARCM can provide informed guidance shaped by decades of collecting, curating, writing, and interpreting material culture related to Martin Luther and the Reformation.
evaluate your own collection
Identify significance, context, strengths, and next steps.
prepare for an auction or acquisition
Get expert perspective before buying, bidding, or consigning.
plan an exhibit or educational event
Build engaging displays, talks, or interpretive programming.
design a commemorative medal or plan a commemorative project
Develop historically, theologically, and culturally grounded numismatic designs incorporating rich, old-world elements.
explore the amazing field of Reformation coins, medals, and fine art
take the first step in your Reformation coin, medal, and fine art journey
A beginner’s guide to Reformation coins, medals, and fine art.
tools for the journey
Bibliographies, articles, catalogs, and reference tools.
even more treasures await
Curated pieces, highlights, and themed discoveries.