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2 Gulden Imperial election of Frederick William IV - Mule
| Issuer | Frankfurt, Free imperial city of |
|---|---|
| Year | 1849 |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
| Weight | 21.21 g |
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| Obverse description | The heraldic eagle of Frankfurt displayed at center, crowned, with wings spread and crosshatched breast, talons resting on an ornamental foliate scroll at the base of the coin. The circumferential legend FREIE STADT FRANKFURT runs along the upper periphery within a beaded border, flanking the eagle's head on either side. |
|---|---|
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| Obverse lettering | FREIE STADT FRANKFURT |
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| Additional information |
Frankfurt's mint produced this mule by pairing dies that were never intended to be used together — the obverse prepared for the 1849 two-Gulden election piece and a reverse from a different issue. The result is a hybrid with no official authorization, almost certainly the product of mint-interior experimentation or deliberate die-mating for collector sale, a practice not uncommon among German states in this period.
The election itself came to nothing. Frederick William IV famously rejected the Frankfurt Parliament's offer of the imperial crown in April 1849, dismissing it as a "crown from the gutter." The coin commemorates a constitutional moment that collapsed within weeks of the dies being cut.