2 Marks - Frederick II

Frederick II ruled Anhalt-Dessau from 1904, but the opening date on this issue reflects the Prussian-led German Empire's practice of authorizing commemorative and circulating silver denominations to the constituent states well before a new reign formally began. Anhalt was among the smaller duchies whose coin output was tightly constrained by the imperial mint quota system, making run lengths modest by comparison to Prussian issues. These pieces were struck at the Berlin or Hamburg mints under contract rather than any ducal facility.