Pattern coins from Germany

[chrisild]

Just checked, and that one is not listed in the Schaaf catalog. I am not so fond of the design - the beehive "works" as a symbol, I think, but should be bigger. And while in Germany we tend wo write the digit "1" with two lines (diagonal line up, then vertical down), this is quite extreme.

Some nice designs you got there. And it is not really accidental that they are from the German Empire, from Saarland and the GDR, but not from here. The Federal Republic of Germany does not actually "issue" such patterns or essais; all you usually get is drawings on paper, or plaster models.

As for the German Empire (monarchy and republic) coins, as far as I know, the mints would sometimes make them to see how a new design or alloy "works". Also, sometimes an artist would simply have his own designs produced by a mint, simply to advertise his skills. Karl Goetz for example has done that a lot.

Christian

[<k>]

Pattern 5 Deutsche Mark coin of 1975.



The issued 5 DM coin.

In 1975 the Federal Republic of Germany decided that a new circulation 5 Deutsche Mark coin was needed.

Wolfgang Doehm provided the obverse design, which was spare and functional yet somehow stylish too.

The reverse showed the German eagle.


Originally Doehm designed a piece where the raised rim follows the text around the large denominational numeral '5'.

The rim around the eagle had a similarly varying width.


That was modified as a result of objections from the vending industry (including the postal service and German Rail).

They complained that this rim would cause problems, especially with vending machines.

[Pellinore]

Germany., 25 Pfennig, 1908.  Design trial.

A quite modern type for 1908 - when Jugendstil was still rife.

— Paul

[chrisild]

In 1975 the Federal Republic of Germany decided that a circulation 5 Deutsche Mark coin was needed.

I would add the word new here, as in "a new circulation 5 DM coin". The old (silver) fiver, 1951-74, was made for circulation too, and did circulate like the other denominations. But then the vending industry wanted coins that could reliably be recognized by machines, and that was a welcome opportunity to replace the silver (Ag 625) coins with Magnimat (Cu-Ni with a pure nickel core) coins. Doehm won the design contest (he designed both sides of the new coin) but was then told that, for technical reasons, his design had to be modified.

Would have been interesting to know what kind of experience Israel had made with such rims. If we leave the 1 agora coin (scalloped shape) out, all "agorot" coins (5, 10, 25) between 1960 and 1980, had that kind of rim ...

Christian

[<k>]

Added 'new'.

[<k>]

Germany, 5 DM, 1951.  Mercury.

Image © Münzenhandlung Harald Möller GmbH.

[chrisild]

Ah, good old Mercury is back (see reply #7).  

As far as I know, that was a pattern by Karl Schmidt from Schwäbisch Gmünd.

He had also designed coins for the Weimar Republic – and here is another one he did, also dated 1951.

As for the one in the link, I like both sides, except they do not "harmonize" very well.

Christian