Germany 1916-E 1/2 mark
This specimen was lot 34112 in Heritage sale 3067 (Long Beach, September 2018), where it sold for $408. The catalog description[1] noted, "Germany: Wilhelm II Proof 1/2 Mark 1916-E PR67 Ultra Cameo NGC, Muldenhutten mint. The current finest certified example from NGC, this mirroresque minor comes fully blemish-free and glossy, with deep cameo contrast that proves fully engulfing. From the Feeling Good Collection." This coin is from a type issued 1905-19 from the Berlin (mintmark "A"), Munich (mintmark "D"), Muldenhutten (mintmark "E", shown here), Stuttgart (mintmark "F"), Karlsruhe (mintmark "G") and Hamburg (mintmark "J") mints. Under the German Empire of 1871-1918, the denominations of two mark and up were permitted for the formerly independent principalities while the lower denominations (one pfennig thru one mark) were minted to a unified design. The pre-war silver half marks are not rare but the 1915-19 issues were almost completely hoarded, making them common today in all grades.
Recorded mintage: 1,640,000.
Specification: 2.77 g, 0.900 fine silver, 20 mm diameter.
Catalog reference: KM 17, J-16.
- Michael, Thomas, and Tracy L. Schmidt, Standard Catalog of World Coins, 1901-2000, 47th ed., Iola, WI: Krause Publications, 2019.
- Jaeger, Kurt, Die Deutschen Münzen seit 1871, Basel: Münzen und Medaillen AG, 1982.
- [1]Cristiano Bierrenbach, Warren Tucker and Sam Spiegel, 2018 September 6-11 Long Beach Expo World Coins & Ancient Coins Signature Auction #3067, Dallas: Heritage Auction Galleries, 2018.
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