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2 Gulden Imperial election of Frederick William IV
| Issuer | Free Imperial City of Frankfurt |
|---|---|
| Year | 1849-1890 |
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| Currency | Gulden (1838-1866) |
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| Reverse description | The reverse features a bold multi-line inscription in the central field reading FRIEDRICH WILHELM IV KOENIG VON PREUSSEN, commemorating the election of Frederick William IV as Emperor of the Germans. The surrounding circular legend reads ERWÄHLT ZUM KAISER DER DEUTSCHEN D. 28. MÄRZ 1849, referencing the date of his election by the Frankfurt Parliament. Beneath the central inscription, a decorative laurel branch is rendered in low relief as a finishing ornamental device. The border is defined by a toothed rim consistent with the obverse, and the overall composition is typographically formal, reflecting the solemnity of the commemorated event. |
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| Reverse lettering | ERWÄHLT ZUM KAISER DER DEUTSCHEN D. 28. MÄRZ 1849, FRIEDRICH WILHELM IV KOENIG VON PREUSSEN |
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| Additional information |
Frankfurt struck this 2 Gulden to commemorate the election of Frederick William IV as German Emperor by the Frankfurt Parliament in March 1849 — an offer he famously refused, dismissing the crown as one "picked up from the gutter." The liberal parliament had spent nearly a year drafting the Paulskirchenverfassung, a constitution that would have unified Germany under a constitutional monarchy, only to have the Prussian king reject both the crown and the document outright.
The collapse of the Frankfurt Parliament effectively ended the revolution of 1848–49 in Germany. This coin thus commemorates a political failure as much as an election.