20 Mark Pattern

Hamburg struck this pattern as part of the broader German states' resistance — largely ceremonial by 1907 — to full monetary consolidation under the Reich. The Free Hanseatic cities retained nominal issuing rights longer than most German states, and pattern pieces like this one document the friction between municipal tradition and imperial standardization. Gold-plated copper was the standard medium for such trials, keeping production costs negligible while approximating the finished coin's appearance for official review.