3 Mark - William II

Prussia's 3 Mark denomination was introduced in 1908 as part of the imperial coinage reform that replaced the heavier 2 and 5 Mark pieces in everyday commerce — a practical response to silver hoarding driven by rising metal prices. The Berlin Mint (A) handled the bulk of production, though examples from Hamburg (J) turn up with notably lower survival rates in collectible grades.

Wilhelm II's relationship with his coinage was not incidental; he personally involved himself in approving portrait designs, famously rejecting several proposals before sanctioning the imagery used across this series.