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2 Mark - Wilhelm I Pattern
| Issuer | Germany (1871-1948) |
|---|---|
| Year | 1876 |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | Log in to see details |
| Currency | Mark (1873-1923) |
| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| Diameter | Log in to see details |
| Thickness | Log in to see details |
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| Technique | Log in to see details |
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| Obverse description | Plain unadorned field with no central device or legend, bounded by a beaded inner border and an outer rim. The obverse is entirely blank, consistent with a trial or pattern piece intended to showcase the reverse design in isolation. |
|---|---|
| Obverse script | Log in to see details |
| Obverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Reverse description | Centrally placed display of the German Imperial eagle with wings spread, displayed facing, its head turned to the right. The eagle bears a crowned heraldic shield on its breast quartering the arms of the constituent German states. Above the eagle, the Imperial crown is prominently rendered in high relief. The legend DEUTSCHES REICH arcs along the upper field flanking the crown, with the date 1876 positioned vertically at the right. Below the eagle, the denomination ZWEI MARK is inscribed along the lower field. The entire design is enclosed within a beaded inner border. |
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| Additional information |
Pattern coinage for the newly unified German Empire's 2 Mark denomination was produced during the critical standardization push of the mid-1870s, as the Reich worked to replace the dozens of pre-unification state currencies with a coherent federal system under the 1871 and 1873 coinage laws. Patterns from this period document the considerable back-and-forth between the Berlin mint and imperial authorities over design specifics before production types were locked.
Survivors are institutionally rare — most pattern strikings of this era went directly into official collections or were retained by mint officials.