Gold Prussia 1906 10 Mark
Shown above is the 1906 10 Mark coin from Prussia. It was minted from 3.982 grams of 0.900 fine gold which converts to 0.1152 ounces of gold. At the time of writing the gold content of this coin was worth about US$108. The obverse of the coin depicts the portrait of King Wilhelm II of Prussia, who also happened to be the Emperor of Germany. This Wilhelm II is the same famed Kaiser who was in charge of Germany during all of World War One when he was known mockingly as Kaiser Bill by his enemies. The reverse shows the so called Type III German Coat of Arms. The reverse also shows the A mintmark which was Berlin, where 542,000 of these coins were minted for circulation in 1906. Interestingly a very small number (150) of proof strikings were also made in 1906.
This is an interesting historical coin that is available for not much more than the value of the gold it contains. In 1871 when German forces defeated France in the Franco-Prussian war the German Empire was formed. Prussia was the major state of this new empire and it's king, King Wilhelm I was declared Emperor (Kaiser) of the empire. The new empire consisted of 4 kingdoms, 18 dukedoms, 3 free cities and the region of Alsace-Lorraine. The Empire of Germany and the Kingdom of Prussia were brought to an end with Germany's defeat in World War 1. As you can see, there's a lot of history to be found in such a deceptively small coin! Yet another reason why coin collecting is such a fascinating hobby.
Posted by mnemtsas at March 24, 2009 1:52 PM
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