Germany 1923-G 500 mark
This specimen was lot 44478 in Stack's Bowers ANA sale (Costa Mesa, CA, August 2021), where it sold for $312. The catalog description[1] noted, "GERMANY. 500 Mark, 1923-G. Karlsruhe Mint. PCGS PROOF-65 Deep Cameo Gold Shield. A flashy, untoned Proof with hard mirrored fields and frosted cameo devices." This coin is an aluminum 500 mark from a type issued 1923 only from six mints, including the Karlsruhe (mintmark "G") mint. 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. This coin was issued in the middle of the infamous hyperinflation, destroying the savings of the German middle class and radicalizing it.
Recorded mintage: 7,963,000 + proofs.
Specification: 1.67 g, aluminum, 27.1 mm diameter.
Catalog reference: KM-36; J-305.
- 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]Orsini, Matt, Kyle Ponterio and Jeremy Bostwick, The August 2021 ANA sale: World and Ancient Coins, Costa Mesa, CA: Stack's Bowers LLC, 2021.
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