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5 Deutsche Mark Saar - Pattern
| Issuer | Federal Republic of Germany |
|---|---|
| Year | 1958 |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
| Weight | 11.61 g |
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| Obverse description | Log in to see details |
|---|---|
| Obverse script | Latin |
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| Reverse description | The central field depicts a detailed front-facing view of the Alter Turm (Old Tower) of Mettlach, a Carolingian-era octagonal funerary chapel with distinctive Romanesque architectural features including arched windows, blind arcading, and a stepped apse. The building is rendered in high relief with fine architectural detail, set against a plain field. The upper legend 'HEIMKEHR DER SAAR' arcs around the top of the coin, commemorating the return of the Saar territory to West Germany, while 'ALTER TURM ZU METTLACH' is inscribed along the lower arc. Small lozenge stops separate the legends, and a beaded border frames the entire design. |
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| Additional information |
The Saar question was one of postwar Europe's most drawn-out territorial disputes. France had detached the Saar protectorate from occupied Germany in 1947, running its currency and foreign policy while allowing nominal autonomy. The 1955 referendum — intended to ratify a "Europeanized" Saar statute — rejected that compromise decisively, and the territory was returned to West Germany on January 1, 1957, with full economic integration following on July 6, 1959.
This copper pattern dates to 1958, the transitional window between political reunification and monetary integration, when separate Saar coinage remained a live administrative possibility. It was never adopted.