20 Mark 30 Years of DDR - Pattern

Patterns from the Münze der DDR occupy an odd position in East German numismatics — officially produced by the state, yet never intended for public hands. This piece was struck in 1979 to mark the thirtieth anniversary of the GDR's founding on October 7, 1949, the date the Soviet-backed government under Wilhelm Pieck formally declared statehood in East Berlin. Whether the copper-nickel alloy was rejected in favor of another specification, or whether the design itself was revised before the circulation issue went forward, the pattern designation signals a decision made somewhere in the approval chain that this version would not proceed.