Catalog
5 Ducats - Aureus Magnus Trier
| Issuer | Germany, Federal Republic of |
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| Year | 1958 |
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| Currency | Aureus Magnus |
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| Obverse description | A detailed panoramic view of the city of Trier dominates the field, depicting the iconic Porta Nigra Roman gate in the foreground with its characteristic rounded towers and arched gateway, surmounted by a heraldic shield bearing a standing figure. Behind the gate rise the spires and domes of Trier's historic ecclesiastical skyline, including the Cathedral of Saint Peter and the Liebfrauenkirche. The engraver's monogram appears in the lower left field. The circumferential legend reads FORUM CIVITATIS TREVERENSIS along the upper rim, with the commemorative dates 958 and 1958 flanking the central device at the base, marking the millennial anniversary of the city's civic forum. |
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| Mintage | 1958 |
| Additional information |
The "Aureus Magnus" series was a private gold restrike program initiated by a West German firm in the late 1950s, reproducing historical German municipal and ecclesiastical coinage in high-relief gold. These were never legal tender and were sold directly to collectors at a premium over melt. Trier's inclusion reflects its status as one of the oldest cities in Germany, with a minting history stretching back to the Roman imperial mint established there under Diocletian.
The .980 fineness is unusually high for struck gold coins of this period — most sovereign issues ran at .900 — suggesting the series was positioning itself explicitly as a bullion-adjacent collectible rather than a circulating or commemorative piece.