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20 Pfennig - Wilhelm I Pattern
| Issuer | Germany (1871-1948) |
|---|---|
| Year | 1886 |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | 20 Pfennigs (20 Pfennige) (0.20) |
| Currency | Log in to see details |
| Composition | Log in to see details |
| Weight | Log in to see details |
| 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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| In circulation to | Log in to see details |
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| Obverse description | Log in to see details |
|---|---|
| Obverse script | Latin |
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| Reverse description | A large numeral '20' dominates the central field, set against a finely lined horizontal engine-turned background within a raised beaded inner circle. The legend 'DEUTSCHES REICH' arcs along the upper periphery and the date '1886' appears at right, while 'ZWANZIG PFENNIG' curves along the lower periphery, all separated from the central device by a rope-twist border and an outer milled rim. |
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| Additional information |
Pattern coinage from the German Empire rarely makes it into general circulation research, but the 1886 20 Pfennig trials occupy a specific footnote in Wilhelmine monetary policy. The Reichstag had been wrestling with the fractional coinage problem throughout the 1880s — the existing nickel issues were unpopular, prone to hoarding, and insufficient in volume. These copper-nickel patterns were struck at Berlin as part of a broader evaluation of alloy alternatives before the final composition decisions for subsidiary coinage were settled.
The type was never adopted for circulation. Production stopped at the pattern stage.