I think my favorite thing to collect is German Pattern coins. I love the history and the designs. I picked up a new one this week and I thought I would share it. This piece was struck in copper and was a proposed design for a Prussian 20 Mark gold piece from 1913. The design was created by Karl Goetz. I particularly like the design of the obverse of this coin because it shows Wilhelm II in Roman attire. Because the word Kaiser is derived from the Roman title Caesar and Germans consider the German Empire to be a continuation of the Holy Roman Empire, I like the symbolism of this design. This coin is graded PF64RB by NGC.
Thanks. The color was really hard to capture with a photo. The reverse is slightly darker in hand. Yes that’s an eagle.
Well, maybe some people at that time did have such crude "continuation" ideas. The Holy Roman Empire ended in 1806, and the HRE's emperor became the Austrian emperor ... But when the Prussia-dominated German Empire was founded in 1871, the primary reason for making the head of state an emperor was that several parts of the new country were kingdoms. So the head of state had to have a title that was somehow a rank above. None of Goetz's many patterns ever became a coin. In this case it was obvious that it would never be, as the crowned eagle was the symbol of the country, not some nude dude. Christian
I know the true timeline of the Holy Roman Empire. What I was mainly referring to was their attempt to tell history in a way that favored them. The design of this coin reflects that viewpoint in my opinion, even though what they claimed isn't accurate. I just like the symbolism because you can clearly see what the image they are trying to project is. Plus, Goetz had some amazing designs. As for the reverse...it has always puzzled me a little. But Goetz used it on a number of his patterns.
