Hesse 1877-H 5 mark Fr-3787

Stack's Bower's 2017 NYINC sale, lot 2431

This specimen was lot 2431 in Stack's Bowers NYINC sale (New York, January 2017), where it sold for $1,880. The catalog description^[1] noted, "GERMANY. Hesse-Darmstadt. 5 Mark, 1877-H. NGC MS-61. SCARCE one year type struck for Ludwig III. Pleasing lustrous example with a framing halo of orange peek toned surfaces at the periphery and around the eagle. With no wear or signs of contact visible. Very nice eye appeal." 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 five mark was issued 1877 only and is rare. A gold five mark also exists with the bust of Ludwig IV (Fr-3792). The gold five mark was not a success and the denomination reverted to silver thereafter. The Darmstadt mint closed in 1882.

Recorded mintage: 103,000 plus proofs.

Specification: 1.99 g, .900 fine gold.

Catalog reference: Fr-3787; KM-356.

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]Ponterio, Richard, The January 2017 NYINC Sale: Ancient Coins, World Coins & Paper Money, featuring the Richard Stuart Collection, Santa Ana, CA: Stack's Bowers LLC, 2016.

Link to:

• Hesse 1876-H 5 mark
• 1877-B 50 pfennig
• 1877-E 50 pfennig
• 1877-F 50 pfennig
• 1877 2 mark
• 1877 5 mark, Ludwig IV
• 1877 10 mark
• Coins and currency dated 1877
• return to coins of German States, Hesse-Darmstadt