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5 Dollars German New Guinea, Essai
| Issuer | Republic of Palau |
|---|---|
| Year | 1999 |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | Log in to see details |
| Currency | Log in to see details |
| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| Orientation | Medal alignment ↑↑ |
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| Obverse description | Log in to see details |
|---|---|
| Obverse script | Latin |
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| Reverse description | Central device displays the coat of arms of German New Guinea: a shield divided per fess, with the upper half bearing a displayed black eagle on a silver field referencing the Imperial German heraldic tradition, and the lower half featuring two confronted birds of paradise with plumage spread, a motif emblematic of the territory. A scroll inscribed NEU-GUINEA surmounts the shield. The legend DEUTSCH arcs along the left periphery and NEU-GUINEA along the right, all enclosed within a beaded border. |
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| Additional information |
Palau's 1999 palladium essai is one of the more peculiar products of the late-1990s commemorative boom — a proof-of-concept strike in a metal that almost no sovereign issuer was using for coinage at the time. Palladium spot prices were beginning their dramatic climb toward the 2001 peak, when the metal briefly exceeded gold, driven largely by Russian export restrictions and automotive catalytic converter demand. Striking an essai in .999 palladium that year was either prescient or accidental timing.
The underlying subject — German New Guinea's 5 Mark coinage — references currency issued under the Neu-Guinea Kompagnie charter before the German imperial government assumed direct colonial administration in 1899.