German States (Saxony) silver 3 mark proof, Battle of Leipzig centennial commemorative, 1913-E

German States (Saxony) silver 3 mark proof, Battle of Leipzig centennial commemorative, 1913-E



(Slab image is in the YouTube video I shot to show the mirrors.)

Obverse: the Völkerschlachtdenkmal (Monument to the Battle of the Nations).
Reverse: Imperial German eagle, head left, crown above.

PCGS PR62 DCAM, cert #29851548. KM 1275, .900 silver/.4823 oz. 33 mm, 16.66 g. Leipzig mint. Mintage: 17,000 proofs. Ex-Moneta Numismatic Services (via VCoins online store), 2/23/2014.

I had been looking for 19th century colorfully-toned proofs. Hadn't seen many that I both liked and could afford. Come to think of it, I hadn't seen many at all in my shopping around the time I bought this coin. This one is 20th century, but in hand, it has pretty deep mirrors and nice Deep Cameo contrast. I've long liked German States coins of the Imperial period; especially proofs. It commemorates the 100th anniversary of the 1813 Battle of Leipzig, which was a decisive victory against Napoleon, and the largest battle fought in Europe prior to World War I. The circulation strikes for this issue are relatively common- I've had an XF-AU example before. I guess even the proofs aren't especially scarce (though 17K mintage isn't exactly common, either), but I do like the added "flash" and Deep Cameo contrast, which doesn't entirely come out in the photos.

(I sold this coin in the late summer of 2016, but decided to post it here anyway.)

Miscellaneous links:
Larger image
PCGS cert verification page (w/TrueView image link)
NGC/Krause priceguide listing

Wikipedia links:
Saxony (in the 19th and 20th centuries)
Battle of Leipzig
Monument to the Battle of the Nations
German gold mark (the Imperial currency unit from 1873-1914)

When posted here, this coin had been recently sold from my "Eclectic Box of 20" collection.

 

You or anyone else, apparently. The market for this Kaiserreich stuff seems really soft, and has been for quite some time. I suppose part of the problem with the Imperial German coinage (excluding commemoratives like this) is that while they have that cool eagle, they're all so similar: imperial eagle on one side and denomination on the other. But I'm sure there are plenty of collectors who collect them by date and mint, and they had a lot more mintmarks than we in the USA do.