I picked up this coin and haven't been able find any info about it, I look in www.worldcoingallery.com , as well as a few other sites didn't even see a picture of it, although I did find one 1872 with a FW on the obv. where as mine has a FF. can one of you knowledgeable folks help out there? Thank's, John sorry for the crummy attachments
Try cropping the picture to just the coin before attaching it. The earliest German Empire 5 pfennig listed in Kruase was first minted in 1874, in the fourth year of existence of a unified Germany. It is possible that one of the German States was still minting minor coins in 1872, in violation of the new Imperial rules, but it would be impossible to identify without a viewable picture.
John,it is a coin from one of the Mecklinburg states.There were 2 of these - Mecklinburg-Schwerin & Mecklinburg-Strelitz.The 'FF' monogram is of Grand Duke Friedrich Franz II. Aidan.
This coin from Mecklenburg-Schwerin is one of the pieces that German states issued in the first two or three years after the creation of the German Empire. Some states simply continued making their traditional coins in whatever currency they had used before (when they were countries). Others, such as the two Mecklenburgs, made new ones in the Pfennig/Mark system. These local pieces were legal tender, in that state, until 1878 ... The Mecklenburg-Schwerin coins (and also the very similar ones from Mecklenburg-Strelitz) were minted in Dresden, Saxony. The letter "B" does not refer to the mint location but to the mintmaster G. J. Buschick. Christian
No, I haven't done a lot with the coins except wonder at this point, just trying to keep up with the other 40 irons in the fire Thanks for asking though, when I find something i'll post. John
