Nazi 50 Pfennig – finally!

The hunt for the nickel swastika 50 Pfennig is finally over. To day I was victorious. $38 this magnificent coin demanded. Not too bad. There´s some green stuff on the obverse, but else it's perfect

 

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Very nice. I know those can be tough to come by. Congrats!

 

Thank you

 

No problem. I have been researching Nazi era coins because I want to start collecting them and those nickel one's seem to be a challenge...even the coins with the higher mintage. It seems like those and nice zinc Nazi coins are the hard ones.

Also, I can't make out the mint mark on your 50Pf...I can see it's a 1939 but the photo isn't sharp enough for me to read the mint mark.

 

Looks like A - Berlin

 

I often stumble upon high grade zink nazi coins, even without white spots. Perhaps because I live in Europe But this 50 Pfennig is a challenge ewen here.

 

That's what I thought it was, I'm using a junk monitor right now and the screen is terrible.

From what I have seen, nice zinc Nazi coins are a little on the hard side to get over here...but not incredibly difficult. For some reason, the nickel coins are the hardest it seems.

 

You´re right. It's the most common year and mint mark, 15 000 000 coins minted. I just don´t understand why it´s such a hard one to find.

 

I wonder if they were melted down as the war waged on. Here in the states the coins had their nickel content removed for use in the war effort. I'd imagine the German's did the same thing as the war got into the 1940s.

 

And a low quality picture dosen´t make it easier

 

That's true too. But, I'm at my parents house right now since I'm back in town for spring break. So, I'm using my old junk computer I built in 2003 with a monitor that is sort of dying (it keeps flickering on me). So, I don't have the best setup right now.

 

That's´s the most likely explanation. Wars are bad for so many things.

 

Well, it makes sense. If you look at the coins that the 3rd Reich produced...they started out with copper, silver, with some aluminum and nickel. But, by about 1940...the copper, silver and nickel were all gone. The majority of the new coins being minted were zinc or aluminum. I'd imagine coins from just a few years earlier were being melted for their base metals.

The trend from more to less precious metals in such a short period of time is one of the many reasons I find Nazi coins so interesting.

 

A bad computer is better than no computer

 

I find the design and historic period both very appealing. Especially the large 5 Mark silver swastika coins.

But I´ve always found it strange Hitler didn´t put his face on the 5 Mark coin. After all, he was a megalomaniac.

 

Hilter was a very interesting person. He craved power and absolute control, he built huge structures to the glory of his empire...but it kind of seems like he always focused on the Reich rather than himself. One example of this is he was the military leader, but he didn't cover himself with medals like so many dictators did. I think he preferred to let the "glory" of his empire speak for itself and by doing so he was considered great because he had built the empire. So, I'm not completely surprised by the lack of his image on the coins. They all have very symbolic images of the Germany he had envisioned.

I find it a very interesting time for a large number of reasons. But, I also find it a very unfortunate time for many reasons too.

The 20th century as a whole was a very fascinating time. When I was in high school, my history class had a big debate over who the single most influential person of the century was. The most popular answers were Vladimir Lenin and Adolf Hitler because of the grand ramifications they created. I argued that Gavrilo Princip was the most influential person (stating that his actions created the opportunity for both Lenin and Hilter to eventually come to power) but nobody seemed to want to agree with me. In any case, I find the era very interesting...especially both Nazi Germany and Soviet Russia.

 

That piece is dated 1939, and I doubt many of them got released into circulation prior to the start of the war, and the remainders may have been melted down for the war effort. Of course the aluminium examples are quite common, but those actually did make it out into circulation.

If I am correct, didn't the aluminium examples start coming out with 1938 dates, so even before they stopped making the nickel ones?

 

Great find CONGRATS:thumb:
Can't see the mint ??

 

Yes, the nickel coins were only minted from 1938-1939. The aluminum coins began being minted in 1939 and were minted until 1944.

 

Right below the wreath with the swastika. Here is another one (different year and mintmark though): http://www.gietl-verlag.de/picanz.php?bild=417_bild1gr.jpg

As for the material and dates of those 50 Reichspfennig coins, they were pure nickel pieces between 1927 and 1938. Those coins did not have a swastika; the nazi government simply continued to make the Weimar Republic 50 Rpf piece. Then, in 1938 and '39, the nickel coin with swastika was issued. These two were taken out of circulation in August 1940.

However, in 1935 they already made a one-year aluminum piece (no swastika); then between 1939 and 1944 that alu type was made with the swastika. These two continued to be legal tender until April 1949.

Christian