West German Five Mark Commoratives - A Comprehensive Review
Germany's fate following its surrender in May, 1945 lay with the four occupying powers, which were the United States, Great Britain, France, and the Soviet Union (USSR). Each of the above parties administered a zone of occupation, including sections of the capital Berlin. By the end of 1949, discord between the three Western powers and the Soviets laid the groundwork for a partitioned Germany that lasted until 1991. A merger of the French, British, and American zones created the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG or West Germany), while the Democratic Republic of Germany (DDR or East Germany) was formed from the Soviet sector. Berlin would also remain divided between Eastern and Western sections, despite its location deep within the DDR. Throughout the Cold War, Berlin would be a source of tension between the West and the Soviet Bloc.
Western support was focused on making West Germany a viable bulwark against the expansion of communism, similar to the policy toward Japan. This included creation of a stable economy, of which one aspect was an effective coinage system. Production would be at four mints, including Munich, Stuttgart, Karlsruhe, and Hamburg. Mintmarks were the following:
| Munich | D |
| Stuttgart | F |
| Karlsruhe | G |
| Hamburg | J |
Although hostilities did not conclude until the spring of 1945, some occupation coins were issued with a 1944 date. This special occupation coinage continued to be struck through 1948, and was only produced in lower denominations. Basically, it resembled that of the previous government, but lacked any symbolism of the Nazi regime. A currency reform was undertaken in 1948, and modern coinage types were introduced.
The label of currency reform was supplanted by official FRG issues in 1950. The silver five mark type for normal circulation was introduced in 1951, followed by the initial five marks commemorative a year later. Normal circulating coinage will be the basis of a future discussion, as this article focuses on the five mark commemoratives.
German Federal Republic five mark commemoratives were minted between 1952 and 1986 in both proof and uncirculated editions. There are some interesting correlations between this series and that of the American Washington quarter issues (1932-1998). First, early issues are characterized by low mintages and rarity, while coins issued later on, between 1968 and 1986, are readily available at reasonable prices. Secondly, similar to quarters coined in silver then base metal, five mark pieces were of .625 silver until supplanted with a copper-nickel mixture. Since 1987, special issues have been put out with a value of ten marks.
An interesting variety of themes characterizes this series, with some subjects having significance only within Germany proper. A majority of motifs though, portray motifs that have international prominence. 1952 marked the initial special issue, noting the centenary of the Nurnburg Museum, being struck at the Munich mint. 199,000 were produced in uncirculated, along with only 1,345 proofs. 1952 probably wasn't the best year to initiate a practice of manufacturing special coinage, due to economic challenges and tensions with the U.S.S.R. and its satellites. There was concern of the ongoing conflict in Korea leading Stalin to start hostilities in Europe. Two additional commemoratives came out in 1955, honoring Frederich von Schiller's sesquicentennial (150 th ) anniversary of death and the tercentenary (300 th ) anniversary of Ludwig von Baden's birth. Von Schiller was a student of military science, law, and medicine before gaining stature as both a playwright and literary figure. Born in 1759, he was a contemporary of Goethe with whom he corresponded. Schiller's death in 1805 was attributed to gradually declining health. Minted at the Karlsruhe site, uncirculated production was again 199,000 while proof specimens amounted to 1,217. Von Baden was an outstanding military strategist who defeated the Turks at the Battle of Slankermen in 1691. This military operation was part of the overall effort to repulse Turkish offensives near the outskirts of Vienna. After the victory, Baden was known as “Turkenlouis”, and served as margrave of Baden before dying in 1707. 198,000 business strikes and 2,000 proofs (some struck illegally by mint employees) were manufactured in Stuttgart. The last 1950's commem came out in 1957, being minted in Hamburg, attributed to Joseph Friherr von Eichendorff's centennial of death. Von Eichendorff, educated as a lawyer, worked in civil service for the Prussian government, but is best known for his poetic works. A follower of the romantic school of poetry, he is considered “the last champion of romanticism”. His civil service career was curtailed when Prussian anti-Catholic policies conflicted with his personal religion. Born in 1788 near Upper Silesia, he died in 1857 in the town of Neisse. Total outputs were 198,000 uncirculated and 2,000 proof emissions.
By the end of the 1950's the FRG began to reap the fruits of postwar economic recovery. Disposable income though, was still limited for most of the citizenry, so expenditures for goods such as commemorative coins remained a low priority. As a result, very low mintages have led to prices exceeding the budgets of many collectors.
No further commems were manufactured until 1964, when the sesquicentennial (150 years) of Johann Gottlieb Fichte's death was depicted on a release from Hamburg.
Fichte was born in Prussia during the year 1762, gaining recognition as an educator and philosopher after studying theology. His writings focused on religious, metaphysical, and state socialism topics. As an educator, Fichte served as dean of the philosophy department and subsequently rector of the University of Berlin. Fichte's life was claimed in 1814 by an outbreak of typhoid fever within Berlin. A trend of increasing mintage figures began with this issue, as 495,000 and 5,000 uncirculated and proof pieces, respectively, were struck. 1966 marked the two hundred and fiftieth anniversary of Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz's death. Math students taking calculus are very familiar with Leibniz, who formulated several differential and integral rules of calculus during the 1670's. Controversy arose over whether he actually invented the differential and integral guidelines independently or derived fundamentals from Isaac Newton. Regardless, Leibniz deserves credit for his involvement in development of calculus principles in use today. Leibniz also developed a water pump powered by windmills that was utilized in mining operations in the Harz Mountains. Silver from these mountains was a key source of supply for thaler production during the late Middle Ages. Additionally, Leibniz served as a legal advisor and diplomat for the Elector of Mainz. Born in Leipzig in 1646, this renaissance man passed away during the year 1716. Production of commemoratives continued its gradual increase, as uncirculated output rose to 1,940,000 business strikes and 5,000 proofs. The following year, 1967, Stuttgart introduced a piece honoring brothers Wilhelm and Alexander von Humboldt. Wilhelm (1767-1835) served in both domestic and foreign posts for the Prussian government. A program that guaranteed access to education for all social classes was implemented during his time of managing the Prussian education office. Humboldt also served as a diplomat to the Holy See, Austria, and Great Britain. Alexander (1769-1859) made his mark as a naturalist and explorer. His travels were to Latin America and Russia, studying several subjects such as flora and fauna, climates, and ocean currents. Additional scientific investigations were made in the fields of mineralogy, astronomy, and forestry. Similar to his brother, he also served as a Prussian diplomat. Uncirculated mintage amounted to two million, while sixty thousand proofs were made. These three commemoratives merit classification as semi-keys, characterized by both higher mintages and lower prices compared to earlier types. This was another indicator of West Germany's continuing economic improvement.
Three different types appeared during 1968. Paying tribute to the sesquicentennial of Frederich Raiffeisen's birth in 1818, an issue was struck at Hamburg. Raiffeisen's career was in municipal government service, serving in administrative capacities for the community of Neuwied. He is known though, as a social reformer who founded a social co-operative savings organization within Germany in 1865, resembling to a degree today's credit unions. Raiffeisen's passing occurred in 1888. Uncirculated production topped 3.8 million, while 140,000 proofs were produced. Johannes Gutenberg, the reputed inventor of movable type printing, was the subject of an emission that noted the five hundredth anniversary of his death in 1468. Gutenberg developed his process around 1456 in Mainz, his first book being the Latin bible. His exact birth date is unknown, presumed around 1400. Output from Karlsruhe amounted to 2.9 million commercial strikes and 100,000 proof coins. The third 1968 commemorative theme was Max von Pettenkoffer's one hundred fiftieth anniversary of birth. Pettenkoffer originally studied medicine in Munich, but gained prominence for his work in chemistry and hygiene. Considered a pioneer in the field of epidemiology, he also did research on sewage disposal and cholera, before his death in 1901. Appropriately, the Munich mint manufactured 2.9 uncirculated and 100,000 proof pieces. All of these three issues are priced reasonably in uncirculated condition, but the Gutenberg and Pettenkoffer proofs are more expensive, meriting semi-key status.
Theodor Fontaine's sesquicentennial of birth was the first motif of 1969, a product of Karlsruhe. Born in 1819, Fontaine in early life aspired to follow in his father's footsteps as a chemist, passing the state chemists' exam in 1847. However, he discovered a penchant for writing, having a stellar career as both journalist and author. Fontaine began his writing career as a news correspondent, later becoming a prolific composer of short stories, poetry, novels, travel accounts, and autobiographies. Although dying in 1898, some of his profuse literary output still has not been accessed. The Fontaine type is the last five mark commemorative with an uncirculated mintage under five million, slightly exceeding 2.8 million. 170,000 proofs were also coined, the final time proof production was under 200,000. Pricing for the Fontaine pieces is higher in comparison to later issues, so they both can be classified as semi-keys. The other 1969 issue is attributed to the three hundred seventy-fifth anniversary of Gerhard Mercator's passing, manufactured at Stuttgart. Mercator (1512-1594) was a cartographer during the Age of Exploration, developing key mapping concepts that greatly aided navigation. One method involved placement of meridians and parallels of latitude on maps that continues in use today. Higher mintage figures characterize this type, commercial output topping five million with 200,000 proofs.
Ludwig van Beethoven's bicentennial of birth was the sole commem released in 1970. Stuttgart was the site where the famous musician's piece was minted. Total output amounted to five million in uncirculated and 200,000 proofs. 1971 marked a century since Germany was first unified, and a special issue was coined at Karlsruhe. Five million uncirculated pieces were released along with 200,000 proofs. Another 1971 issue had the theme of artist Albrecht Durer's five hundredth anniversary of birth. Durer's four hundredth anniversary of death was the subject of a Weimar Republic commemorative put out in 1928. Eight million business strikes and 200,000 proofs were manufactured. The Beethoven, Unification, and Durer pieces are all inexpensive with ample supplies existing.
During 1972, a series of ten mark pieces commemorated the Munich Olympics. Five mark values resumed in 1973 with an issue honoring the five hundredth anniversary of astronomer Nicholas Copernicus. Copernicus formulated the concepts of earth rotating on its axis and the planets orbiting around the sun. Eight million business strikes and 250,000 proofs were released from Hamburg. Additionally in 1973, the one hundred and twenty-fifth anniversary of the Frankfurt Parliament was highlighted. This assembly was convened in May, 1848, at the Paulskirche (Paul's Church) in Frankfurt am Main. Although the gathering itself eventually dissolved due to widespread dissention, concepts of basic rights used in future German constitutions were developed. Another legal theme was depicted on a 1974 emission, the twenty-fifth anniversary of the Federal Republic's constitutional law. Karlsruhe produced the Frankfurt piece, while the constitutional law coin came out of Stuttgart. Renowned philosopher Immanuel Kant's two hundred and fiftieth anniversary of birth was the only other 1974 commemorative, coined at Munich. His controversial discourses on religious philosophy were briefly banned by Prussian King Frederick William II, but were published after the King's death. Kant passed on in February, 1804. Three commems were created in 1975, paying tribute to Friederich Ebert, the European Monument Protection Year, and Albert Schweitzer. Ebert served as first president of the Weimar Republic, confronting a nation rife with political and economic discontent. Although his cabinet was able to bring about a sense of normalcy by the middle 1920's, Ebert died in 1925. This coin notes the fiftieth anniversary of his death, which was manufactured in Hamburg. Stuttgart came out with the European Monument Protection Year motif, which ended up having two varieties of weight/thickness. Whereas the standard weight/thickness was 11.2 grams/2.1 mm thick, some coins were dimensioned at 5.3 grams/1.4 mm thick. Currently, there is no major price variation for this anomaly. Albert Schweitzer, known for his work as a missionary physician in Africa, was honored on the centenary of his birth. Ironically, 1975 was also the tenth anniversary of his death. Johann von Grimmelshausen (1625-1676) was a prominent novelist during the seventeenth century. His early life saw extensive military service and travel, which is reflected in his writings. Later in life, Grimmelshausen continued writing while serving the Bishop of Strasburg as bailiff up until his death. The writer's tercentenary of death is the theme of the sole commemorative of 1976, minted in Munich. Two special issues were put out in 1977, honoring the bicentennial birth anniversaries of Carl Frederich Gauss and Heinrich von Kleist. Gauss is known both as a mathematician and astronomer. He developed the “method of least squares” among other theoretical applications to the study of numbers. Gauss later in life was in charge of the Gottingen Observatory until his passing in 1855. The Gauss issue was produced in Hamburg. Kleist was a dramatic poet whose works were an abrupt style reflecting various levels of dissention. His own unhappy personal life though, led to suicide in 1811. Karlsruhe was the production site for the Kleist coin.
Gustav Streseman was a German statesman in Frederick Ebert's cabinet who was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1926. He was able to negotiate reasonable terms for a weakened Germany regarding various issues with other countries. A relatively early death in 1929 spared him from future problems that befell the German nation. A design dedicated to his centenary of birth (1878-1978) was executed in Munich. Another 1978 release paid respect to Balthasar Neumann's two hundred and seventy-fifth anniversary of death, manufactured in Stuttgart. Neumann was born in Bohemia in 1687, and later trained to be a military engineer. However, he gained fame as an architect, obtaining projects through his connections with the noble Schonborn family. Neumann's career concluded with his death in 1753. 1979 would be the final year silver was used in this series, with the sesquicentennial of the German Archeological Institute. Originally established in Rome (1829), during 1832 the Institute relocated to Berlin. Financing by the Prussian government of the entity commenced in 1859, and it later became a national German institution around 1874. Currently, the Institute is active within the Old World, especially the Middle East. This coin was struck at the Hamburg facility. Uniform mintages exist for this subset of five mark commems, beginning with the Copernicus piece. This includes eight million uncirculated and 250,000 proof strikes. The only deviation from this pattern was 259,000 proofs for the Neumann output. Widespread availability of this subgroup makes collecting these pieces feasible for collectors with limited budgets.
Steadily rising silver prices led to the clad composition replacing silver in late 1979. Chemist Otto Hahn, a 1944 Nobel laureate, was the first theme of the copper-nickel coinage. Paying tribute to the centenary of his birth, coins were emitted from Karlsruhe. Hahn's primary accomplishment was discovering the fission of uranium and thorium in medium heavy nuclei. His death occurred in 1968, concluding an illustrious scientific career. Despite the metallic changeover, eighteen exceedingly rare silver pieces are known to exist. During 1980, commemoratives honoring the Cologne Cathedral and Walther von der Vogelweide (1160-1230) were introduced. The Cologne Cathedral piece was produced in Stuttgart, honoring the centennial anniversary of its completion. This edifice was heavily destroyed during W.W.II before being rebuilt. Vogelweide is considered one of the most prominent poets from the Middle Ages. His writings though, touched on the subject of the Pope meddling within German political activities. Relations with the Holy See were a “point of contention” among many members of the German nobility throughout the Middle Ages, which aided the cause of the Reformation. Vogelweide's seven hundred and fiftieth anniversary of passing is commemorated on a price struck at Munich. During 1981, Gotthold Lessing and Carl vom Stein were portrayed on anniversaries of their deaths. Lessing, a dramatist and writer, documented the notion that the Bible was no longer the foundation of Christianity. Special coinage manufactured at Hamburg honors the bicentennial of his passing. Vom Stein is known for affecting various reforms within the Prussian government and his knowledge of German medieval history. A Hamburg emission pays tribute to his sesquicentennial of death. Johann Wolfgang Goethe was the motif for a 1982 commem, one hundred and fifty years after his passing. Goethe is known universally for his writing and scientific talents. This renaissance man discovered the intermaxilary bone while doing research on anatomy, while also composing plays, novels, and poetry. Additionally, he held several government posts such as Superintendent of Mines. Vogelweide, Lessing, vom Stein, and Goethe were also depicted on Weimar Republic commemoratives, but these earlier pieces are scarcer and comparatively higher priced. Another 1982 issue, struck at Stuttgart, commemorated the tenth anniversary of the U.N. Environmental Conference.
Two significant world history figures are the motifs of the two 1983 releases. A Hamburg product notes the centennial of Karl Marx's death, whose writings laid the foundation of communism. Martin Luther's quincentenary of birth was highlighted on a Karlsruhe strike. The aforementioned tensions between Rome and many German nobles along with Luther's writings that criticized various tenets of Roman Catholicism combined to launch the Protestant Reformation within Germany. A previous Luther commemorative was released during the Nazi Regime in 1933, which is rather difficult to come by in higher grades. In 1984, the sesquicentennial of a customs union known as the “Zollervereign” was the theme of a Munich issue. This compact between several German states, consummated in 1834, was the initial step toward eventual unification in 1871. Another 1984 output pays tribute to composer Felix Bartholdy's (1809-1847) one hundred and seventy-fifth anniversary of birth. Many people compare Bartholdy's abilities on par with those of Mozart, who enjoyed a stellar career composing, conducting, and teaching. He founded the Leipzig Conservatory in 1842, but the demands of administration along with the doings mentioned above led to failing health and eventual death in 1847. The music theme continued in 1985, with a Stuttgart piece paying tribute to the European Year of Music. Similar to other industrialized nations, Germany's railroad system is a key component of its economic structure. The other commem from 1985 hails the sesquicentennial of the railroad's existence. 1986 would be the final year of the five mark commemoratives, and Heidelberg University and Frederick the Great were the two themes depicted. Founded in 1386 upon authorization by Pope Urban VI, Heidelberg University became a center of religious thought for the German Reformation. Germany's oldest college is noted for its theology and psychology departments. This commem honors the six hundredth anniversary of the school's founding. Frederick the Great served as King of Prussia from 1740 through 1786, ushering in Prussia's ascent to being a leading European power. His achievements include the doubling of Prussian territory, which included sharing in the First Partition of Poland (1772). A Stuttgart piece honor's Frederick the Great's bicentennial of death. Beginning with the Hahn commemorative, proof production was 350,000 for each issue.
Commercial strikes witnessed a decline in production to five million each for the Hahn, Vogelweide, and Cologne Cathedral pieces. Mintages increased to 6.5 million for the Lessing and vom Stein coins, then eight million each starting with Goethe through Frederick the Great emissions. Being moderately priced, these are easily obtainable.
Usually, collecting German coins is an expensive proposition, and trying to obtain the early coins of this series is no exception. Whereas many collectors though, collect the Washington quarters in higher grade starting only in 1941, similar rationale can be applied to this group of West German commemoratives. Completing an uncirculated set between 1968 and 1986 is economically feasible, with most pieces priced in the five to seven dollar range. Astute buyers may be able to work out discounts with large purchases. Collectors of foreign material should seize the current opportunity to complete this subset of commemorative coinage from the Federal Republic of Germany.
This article, written by George Schumacher, was originally printed in the March 2004 issue of "Coins" magazine published by Krause Publications. It is reproduced with the permission of both the author and publisher.
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