Lubeck was one of those self-governing Free City States with beginnings in 1226 who remained a free self-governing city throughout its membership in the Hanseatic League, its involvements in the German and North German alliances, its joining the German Empire and, even, survived its sojurn in the Weimer Republic. It did not lose its Free City status until 1937 when the socialistic Third Reich integrated it into the Province of Schleswig-Holstein. Lubeck's gold and silver coins, under the govenorship of the German Empire, with denominations above 1 Mark were struck by the Berlin Mint and bear the A mint mark. The following coins were struck for circulation and as proofs (photos courtesy of Coin Archives): 2 Mark. 28mm, 0.3215 ounce ASW: 1902-A (25,000 business strikes - unknown number of proofs) 1904-A (25,000 b/s - 200 proofs) 1905-A (25,000 b/s - 178 proofs) 1906-A (25,000 b/s - 200 proofs) 1907-A (25,000 b/s - unknown number of proofs) 1911-A (25,000 b/s - unknown number of proofs) 1912-A (25,000 b/s - unknown number of proofs) Here's a photo of a 1904-A silver 2 Mark coin: LUBECK 1904-A SILVER 2 MARK 3 Mark. 33mm, 0.4823 ounce ASW (unknown amount of proofs were struck each year): 1908 (33,334 b/s) 1909-A (33,334 b/s) 1910-A (33,334 b/s) 1911-A (33,334 b/s) 1912-A (34,000 b/s) 1913-A (30,000 b/s) 1914-A (10,000 b/s) Here's a photo of a 1908-A silver 3 Mark coin: LUBECK 1908-A SILVER 3 MARK 5 Mark. 38mm, 0.8037 ounce ASW: 1904-A (10,000 b/s 200 proofs) 1907-A (10,000 b/s - unknown number of proofs) 1908-A (10,000 b/s - unknown number of proofs) 1913-A (6,000 b/s - ? proofs) Here's a photo of that 1913-A silver 5 Mark coin: LUBECK 1913-A SILVER 5 MARK 10 Mark Gold, 0.1152 ounce Actual Gold Weight: 1901-A (10.000 b/s - 200 proofs) 1904-A (10,000 b/s - 130 proofs) 1905-A (10,000 b/s - 247 proofs) 1906-A (10,000 b/s - 216 proofs) 1909-A (10,000 b/s - ? proofs) 1910-A (10,000 b/s - ? proofs) Here;s a photo of the 1905-A gold 10 Mark: LUBECK 1904-A GOLD 10 MARK Thought you'd like to know... Clinker
Ah, let me add a few more "trivia". Have you noticed that there are three eagles on the Lübeck coins? First there is the eagle of the German Empire, with a small Prussian eagle in the middle. On the other side you see the double eagle from the city's CoA. Many cities in the Holy Roman (and then Roman-German) Empire that were not part of any kingdom, duchy, etc. but had only the emperor "above them" used the eagle, either with one head or two, to indicate that special status. A little politics - at the end of the monarchy in 1918, Lübeck was pretty much the only state that did not have a revolution. (The old senate made a new constitution but basically stayed in office.) Now calling the Third Reich socialistic is quite misleading. Of course there are people who want to politically equate Nazi Germany with the Soviet Union, and sure, both had totalitarian regimes. But a differentiation would historically be more accurate. And yes, Lübeck became part of the Schleswig-Holstein province which was part of the state of Prussia. Today SH is a state by itself, and Lübeck is a city in that state. The very first coin in the modern "German States" €2 series was dedicated to Schleswig-Holstein and shows the Holstentor (an old city gate) in Lübeck. http://ec.europa.eu/economy_finance/images/image8515.gif That was in 2006 - and one year later Lübeck's old town was featured on a €100 gold coin http://www.deutsche-sammlermuenzen....enzgalerie/100_200EurGold/cb_news_luebeck.jpg from the Unesco Cultural Heritage series. Interestingly Lübeck was the first place in the (pre-1806) Empire that, as from 1502, had a coin called "Mark" (named after the mark as a unit of weight). Later, however, the Taler became more influential ... until the (post-1871) German Empire brought the Mark back to Lübeck so to say. Christian
