The Most Expensive: Coins of the German Empire
Today, our record section deals with the years between 1871 and 1918, and thus with the still highly popular field of collection among German collectors: we present the 10 most expensive coins of the German Empire sold at auction.
As always, only the most expensive specimen of every coin type is shown in the list to avoid repetitions. Since there’s a tie, place 6 was skipped and place 5 awarded twice.
01German Empire. Bavaria. King Ludwig III. 3 marks 1918, commemorating the golden wedding anniversary of the royal couple. FDC. “Due to the shortage of silver caused by the war, only about 130 specimens of this commemorative coin […] were minted. It is one of the most sought-after German coins of the 20th century.” From Künker auction 306 (2018), Lot 6592.
02_ersatzGerman Empire. Baden. Grand Duke Frederick I. 10 marks 1880, mint of Karlsruhe. Very fine. From UBS auction 79 (2008), Lot 79. Image: From Künker auction 171 (2010), Lot 6014.
03German Empire. Württemberg. King William II. 20 marks 1913. Mint of Stuttgart. Gem struck in proof quality. From Peus Nachf. auction 402 (2010), Lot 3585.
04German Empire. Mecklenburg-Strelitz. Grand Duke Frederick William. 10 marks 1873. Mint of Berlin. MS67 NGC. From Heritage ANA Signature Sale 3041 (2015), Lot 30046.
05German Empire. Reuss, older line. Duke Heinrich XXII. 20 marks 1875. Mint of Hannover. Showpiece. First strike. From Grün auction 56 (2011), Lot 621.
06German Empire. Saxe-Meiningen. Duke George II. 20 marks 1872. Mint of Munich. Proof. From Künker auction 276 (2016), Lot 6200.
07German Empire. Prussia. Emperor William I. 10 marks 1878. Mint of Hannover. Very fine. From Höhn auction 43 (2004), Lot 3716.
08German Empire. Hanseatic City of Hamburg. 20 marks 1908. Mint of Hamburg. Almost FDC. From Künker auction 200 (2011), Lot 1284.
09German Empire. Saxony. King August III. 3 marks 1917, commemorating the anniversary of the Reformation. Mint of Dresden. NGC PF66 Ultra Cameo. PP. “The most beautiful known specimen”. From Gorny & Mosch auction 242 (2016), Lot 4769.
10German Empire. Saxe-Coburg-Gotha. Duke Ernest II. 20 marks 1872, mint of Dresden. FDC. “The rarest gold coin of the German Empire of excellent quality, the best specimen we know of”. From Grün auction 74 (2018), Lot 2306.
