Catalog
1 Argenteus - Aureus Magnus Adenauer
| Issuer | Germany, Federal Republic of |
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| Year | 1961 |
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| Currency | Aureus Magnus |
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| Obverse description | Left-facing bust of Konrad Adenauer, rendered in high relief with fine portrait detail capturing the Chancellor's characteristic aged features. Germany's Federal coat of arms — the eagle displayed on a shield, flanked by oak leaves — appears below the truncation. The circumferential legend reads CONRAD ADENAUER PATER PATRIAE GERMAN, with the date 1961 in the right field. A small engraver's initial is visible at the lower right of the bust truncation. |
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| Reverse description | A bold six-armed decorative cross occupies the central field, its terminals terminating in stylized lily (fleur-de-lis) motifs, with additional floral ornaments filling the angles between each arm. The Roman numeral I, denoting the denomination, is set within a circular rosette at the very center of the cross. The fineness mark 1000 appears below the central motif. The surrounding legend PRO PROSPERITATE MUNDI arcs along the upper periphery, while ARGENTEUS is inscribed along the lower border. |
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| Additional information |
No standard German Federal Republic coinage of 1961 carries this name or the X# M115 reference in mainstream catalogs — "Argenteus Aureus Magnus Adenauer" suggests a private medal or fantasy piece issued in Adenauer's honor, likely around the time of his final chancellorship years before his 1963 resignation. The X# prefix in Krause cataloging designates exactly that: non-circulating, privately produced, or fantasy issues with no official government mandate.
Adenauer was 85 in 1961. Whatever authority commissioned this piece did so while he was still in office, which at minimum dates the flattery as contemporary rather than posthumous.