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20 Pfennig - Wilhelm I
| Issuer | German Empire |
|---|---|
| Year | 1887-1888 |
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| Value | Log in to see details |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
| Weight | 6.25 g |
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| Obverse description | Log in to see details |
|---|---|
| Obverse script | Latin |
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| Reverse description | The large numeral '20' rendered in bold horizontally-lined relief dominates the central field, enclosed within an inner beaded circle. The legend 'DEUTSCHES REICH' arcs across the upper periphery, the date appears at right, and '20 PFENNIG' curves along the lower periphery, all between the inner beaded border and an outer rope-twist border. Two small five-pointed stars flank the lower legend as separators, and on certain varieties (KM#9.2) a small star appears below the value numeral within the beaded circle. |
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| Additional information |
This type had an unusually short production window — just two years — because the 20 Pfennig denomination itself was abolished in 1892 as part of a broader rationalization of the German imperial coinage system, the second such attempt to kill the denomination after an earlier copper-nickel 20 Pfennig series had already been discontinued in 1887 following chronic public confusion with the 10 Pfennig piece. The similarity in size and color between the two values generated enough commercial friction that the Reichstag simply removed one from circulation.