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5 Deutsche Mark Pattern
| Issuer | Federal Republic of Germany |
|---|---|
| Year | 1951 |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| Diameter | Log in to see details |
| Thickness | Log in to see details |
| Shape | Round |
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| Obverse description | The obverse of this pattern piece appears uniface or plain, with no design elements struck on this side, consistent with a trial or pattern striking where only one die was employed. |
|---|---|
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| Reverse description | Left-facing helmeted bust of Mercury wearing a winged petasus-style helmet, rendered in high relief in a classical allegorical style. To the left of the bust, the numeral '5' appears in the field. To the right, a stylized oak branch with acorn is depicted. Below the bust, the two-line inscription '5 DEUTSCHE MARK' is struck in bold serif lettering within a raised border, serving as both denomination and currency identification. |
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| Additional information |
In 1951, the newly established Federal Republic was working through competing proposals for a circulating 5-Mark piece, and several pattern strikes were produced in non-standard compositions to test designs before a final specification was agreed. This copper example is almost certainly one of those trial pieces — the production 5 DM coin that entered circulation from 1951 onward was struck in .625 silver, making a copper specimen a deliberate off-metal test rather than a minting error.
West Germany's early coinage program was complicated by Allied oversight and the legacy of the 1948 currency reform that had introduced the Deutsche Mark itself only three years prior.