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5 Mark - Louis III Pattern
| Issuer | Bavaria, Kingdom of |
|---|---|
| Year | 1914 |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| Technique | Milled |
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| Obverse description | Bare-headed right-facing effigy of King Ludwig III of Bavaria, depicted with a short beard and prominent facial features in high relief. The truncation of the bust is cleanly cut, and the portrait is rendered in a naturalistic, classical style characteristic of early 20th-century German coinage. The circular legend LUDWIG III KOENIG VON BAYERN runs along the upper and lateral periphery, separated by a small dot before the mint mark D at the lower left. The field is highly polished, consistent with a proof or pattern striking, and the whole is bordered by a fine dentilated rim. |
|---|---|
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| Reverse description | The Imperial German eagle displayed at centre, with spread wings, armoured breast bearing the quartered Imperial shield, and an ornate foliate cartouche below. The eagle's head faces to the right, crowned with the Imperial crown, and the wings are finely detailed with feather engraving in high relief. The circular legend DEUTSCHES REICH arcs across the upper field, with the date 1914 to the right, while FÜNF MARK curves along the lower periphery. Two small six-pointed stars flank the lower legend as separators. The design is enclosed within a beaded border and the mirrored fields display the hallmarks of a proof or pattern finish. |
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| Additional information |
Pattern coinage for Bavaria's 1914 5 Mark was never advanced to circulation — Germany's entry into World War I that August effectively ended any practical discussion of new silver coinage, and the wartime metal demands that followed made large silver strikes politically untenable for years afterward. Louis III, who had only assumed the throne in November 1913 following the regency of his father Ludwig, never saw a circulating 5 Mark bearing his name.
Schaaf's census documents this G4 die pairing as one of several competing reverse trials submitted that year.