Hesse 1874-H 20 mark

Sincona sale 46, lot 266

This specimen was lot 266 in Sincona sale 46 (Zurich, May 2018), where it sold for 655 CHF (about US$786 including buyer's fees). The catalog description^[1] noted,

"Hessen, Grossherzogtum, Ludwig III. 1848-1877. 20 Mark 1874 H, Darmstadt. Gutes sehr schön. (grand duchy of Hesse, Louis III, 1848-77, twenty mark of 1874, Darmstadt mint. Good very fine.)"

Of the two major divisions of Hesse, Hesse-Cassel chose the wrong side in the Austro-Prussian war and found herself annexed. Hesse-Darmstadt survived to become the Grand Duchy of plain Hesse. This one year type is rare.

Recorded mintage: 134,000.

Specification: 7.96 g, 0.900 fine gold, .115 troy oz AGW, this specimen 7.94 g.

Catalog reference: KM 352, J. 217. Fr-3784.

Source:

• Michael, Thomas, and Tracy L. Schmidt, Standard Catalog of World Coins, 1801-1900, 9th ed., Iola, WI: Krause Publications, 2019.
• Friedberg, Arthur L. and Ira S. Friedberg, Gold Coins of the World, From Ancient Times to the Present, 9th ed., Clifton, NJ: Coin and Currency Institute, 2017
• Craig, William D., Germanic Coinages: Charlemagne through Wilhelm II, Mountain View, CA: 1954.
• Jaeger, Kurt, Die Deutschen Münzen seit 1871, Basel: Münzen und Medaillen AG, 1982.
• ^[1]Richter, Jürg, Auction 46, Gold Coins and Medals, Zurich: Sincona AG, 2018.

Link to:

• 1873 10 mark
• 1873 20 mark
• Baden 1874-G 20 mark
• Bavaria 1874-D 20 mark
• Saxony 1874-E 20 mark
• Schaumburg-Lippe 1874-B 20 mark
• Wurttemberg 1874-F 20 mark
• 1877 10 mark
• Coins and currency dated 1874
• return to coins of Hesse