50 Pfennig - Wilhelm II type 2 - small shield - Pattern

The "small shield" 50 Pfennig pattern of 1901 sits at the intersection of two competing design proposals submitted to the Imperial German Mint as Wilhelm II pushed for a reformed coinage aesthetic. The type 2 reverse shield variant was ultimately not adopted for circulation — the larger shield design won out — leaving pattern strikes as the only documentation that this configuration was ever seriously considered. Surviving examples were almost certainly retained by mint officials or distributed to approving authorities rather than released publicly.