Germany 1916-D 1/2 mark

Goldberg sale 100, lot 2526

This specimen was lot 2526 in Goldberg sale 100 (Los Angeles, September 2017), where it sold for $152.75. The catalog description^[1] noted, "Germany. ½ Mark, 1916-D. Pop 6, none finer. Brilliant mint luster with a hint of golden tone. PCGS graded MS-68." This coin is a silver half mark from a type issued 1905-19 from the Berlin (mintmark "A"), Munich (mintmark "D", shown here), Muldenhutten (mintmark "E"), 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: 4,397,000, including 1916/5 and 1916/16 overdates.

Specification: 2.77 g, .900 fine silver, .080 troy oz ASW.

Catalog reference: KM-17.

Source:

• 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]Goldberg, Ira, Larry Goldberg, John Lavender, Yifu Che, Jason Villareal and Stephen Harvey, Goldberg Sale 100: the Pre-Long Beach Auction, Los Angeles: Goldberg Coins and Collectibles, 2017.

Link to:

• 1915-D half mark
• 1915-J ½ mark
• 1916-A 3 kopeks, military occupation coinage
• 1916-E pfennig
• 1916-A ½ mark
• 1916-E ½ mark
• 1916-F mark
• Wurttemberg 1916-F 3 mark
• 1917-D ½ mark
• Coins and currency dated 1916
• return to coins of Germany, Empire (1871-1918)