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5 Mark - Louis II Pattern
| Issuer | Bavaria, Kingdom of |
|---|---|
| Year | 1874-1876 |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | 5 Marks |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| Obverse description | Bare-headed portrait bust of King Ludwig II of Bavaria facing right, rendered in high relief with finely detailed hair curling naturalistically above the ear and at the nape. The effigy is unadorned, conveying a youthful and idealized likeness. The legend LUDWIG II KŒNIG V. BAYERN arcs around the periphery, divided left and right of the portrait. The engraver's signature C. VOIGT appears in small capitals beneath the truncation in the lower field. The broad, polished field and beaded inner border are characteristic of a proof-style pattern striking. |
|---|---|
| Obverse script | Log in to see details |
| Obverse lettering | LUDWIG II KŒNIG V. BAYERN |
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| Additional information |
Pattern coinage for Ludwig II of Bavaria occupies a strange corner of German numismatics — these pieces were struck during the years the Munich Mint was adapting to the newly unified Reich's coinage standards, and Ludwig's relationship with the Imperial government was fractious enough that official portrait coinage became a site of low-level political friction. Whether these patterns represent rejected submissions, presentation pieces, or internal mint trials is a question the documentary record has never fully resolved.
Munich Mint archives from this period are incomplete, which is why attribution of specific die pairings to particular years within the 1874–1876 window remains contested among specialists.