My Imperial German Non Registry Minor Type Set
JamminJ
Posts: 1,413 ✭✭✭
Hello everyone,
One of my recent collecting endeavors is to complete a German Imperial minor coin type set. I thought a good way to track my progress and share photographs and the story behind each one. My inspiration for this is a couple of NGC registry sets for US classic commems, particularly those by TomB and Whilborg. I like their pictures and love the stories.
In my thinking, the type set comprises all the minor coins which were common issues of German Empire denominated from 1 pfennig through 1 mark – 22 coins in all. I omit the KM9.2 20 pfennig both because its a minor variety (just a little star below the denomination) and its really, really expensive. There will be no attempt to collect better dates although I'll try to avoid the extrememly common wartime silver coins. I will attempt to collect in at least gem condition business strikes.
I won't mention any dealers names in the posts so I can be compltely honest without angering anyone. However, if you're interested shoot me a PM and I'll let you know.
It will take me a bit to get the set up an running so please bear with the gaps while they last. From time to time as I add and upgrade coins I’ll bring this thread back to the top. Comments are obviously welcome. If yo have any of the coins I'm missing or have expressed a desire to upgrade please contact me - I will pay very strongly for the right coin.
-JamminJ
One of my recent collecting endeavors is to complete a German Imperial minor coin type set. I thought a good way to track my progress and share photographs and the story behind each one. My inspiration for this is a couple of NGC registry sets for US classic commems, particularly those by TomB and Whilborg. I like their pictures and love the stories.
In my thinking, the type set comprises all the minor coins which were common issues of German Empire denominated from 1 pfennig through 1 mark – 22 coins in all. I omit the KM9.2 20 pfennig both because its a minor variety (just a little star below the denomination) and its really, really expensive. There will be no attempt to collect better dates although I'll try to avoid the extrememly common wartime silver coins. I will attempt to collect in at least gem condition business strikes.
I won't mention any dealers names in the posts so I can be compltely honest without angering anyone. However, if you're interested shoot me a PM and I'll let you know.
It will take me a bit to get the set up an running so please bear with the gaps while they last. From time to time as I add and upgrade coins I’ll bring this thread back to the top. Comments are obviously welcome. If yo have any of the coins I'm missing or have expressed a desire to upgrade please contact me - I will pay very strongly for the right coin.
-JamminJ
0
Comments
I’ve bought and sold many uncirculated coins of this type over the past couple of years. While none were exceptional this is the one that has “stuck” thus far. I won it semi-accidentally off e-bay, placing a lowball bid and forgetting about it until the win notification arrived. I’ve since learned that the Krause is too high for the common coins of the type but too low for the scarce ones – consult Moneytrend to determine which is which.
On the plus side the strike is great, there is some red hiding on the feathers and the surfaces are mark free. One the downside, there are some carbon spots and the surfaces have a slightly dirty, oxidized look to them. All said, I agree with the grade.
This coin will be upgraded, my guess is that the final addition will be graded MS66BN with glossy, lustrous surfaces. I may also consider a slightly lower grade for red-brown surfaces (full red worries me too much).
KM10: 1 pfennig
KM24: 1 pfennig
KM2: 2 pfennig
Here’s another copper coin I feel I can do better for the type. This particular coin I bought off a bidboard at a local coin shop. The seller is an older guy who is slowly liquidating a lifelong collection of world coins a couple of dozen pieces at a time. He cannot grade, even roughly, to save his life. In his grading for copper bright coins, whether original or scrubbed pink are UNC, nice dark coins are XF, crummy dark coins are VF and holed, bent or dug coins are F. You can see the opportunity this presents so I was able to pick this coin off when sold as XF for just a couple of bucks.
The coin is OK but not spectacular. Evenly brown colored with just a hint of red is you squint. Surfaces are glossy with fairly nice luster. Strike is excellent. The big minus for this coin is that the surfaces are slightly impaired from having sat in a PVC flip for many years. Accurately graded but there should be a nice gem specimen out there somewhere for me.
KM16: 2 pfennig
KM3: 5 pfennig
KM11: 5 pfennig
This one I bought out of a local dealers stock with the original intention of reselling it. While spending a Saturday afternoon searching though boxes for coins of interest I came across this one. I bought and slabbed it with the intention of selling it on e-bay. However, before it came back I realized that I had quite a few German Imperial coin laying about so why not work a type set. Voila! Instant promotion to my collection.
The color on the coin is quite nice, an even and attractive champagne. Typical color for copper-nickel coins with high copper content. The strike is sharp and the luster quite nice. What holds this one back grade wise is some chatter on the surfaces. I’m sure there’s a better one out there somewhere for me, I’ll just wait for it to come along.
KM19: 5 pfennig
This coin was added explicitly for this type set in early 2005.
When I called to inquire about the 1875 D mark below the dealer mentioned that he had this coin in stock. After a few questions regarding the surfaces I figured why not send it along for my consideration. Once it arrived I knew it was a keeper – in fact it’s a stronger coin than the 1 mark which initiated my call.
The strike is nice and sharp. There’s some luster on the coin which is darn nice by iron’s standards. The best part is the coin is almost completely corrosion free. Just a couple of carbon spots and one darkish streak to the left of the denomination. Because of the lack of oxidation I doubt I’ll find a better coin of the type than this. A keeper!
KM12: 10 pfennig
This one came from the same local dealer on the same day as the KM11 5 pfennig above. Very similar story, just found him while hunting through boxes and promoted him from sale fodder to cherished collectible once I decided to work this type set.
As usual this coin is very well struck. I’m a “strong strike” person and am willing to give up plenty of surface marks and some luster to get a nice strike. That’s why you’ll find most of my coins describes as such. Even steel grey in color with a nice cartwheel. Surfaces are also very nice. I’m completely happy with this coin. I’m sure there are some better ones out there but one would have to knock my socks off make an upgrade worthwhile.
KM20: 10 pfennig
KM26: 10 pfennig
KM5 20 pfennig
KM9.1: 20 pfennig
This coin is awesome and was bought explicitly for this type set.
I was at my usual Saturday coin shop with gmarguli looking through boxes of newer stuff that hadn’t been worked into inventory yet. I hear Greg say “what do you think of this one?” look up and see him smiling broadly while holding the coin in a flip. After torturing me for a bit about how much better than any other he had seen, how high it would grade and how much it would bring on e-bay he relented and let me put it in my pile rather than his. Dealer was quite fair when pricing it to home it came, off to NGC and now in my collection.
The strike is razor sharp, luster is booming, surfaces are clean and the eye appeal is spectacular. The only downside is there are a few carbon spots on the reverse (kinda visible in the 50k limited picture). Even with the spots my opinion is that the coin is better than MS65 and without them its a lock MS67. One day I’ll get around to sending it to NCS to see if they can remove the spots. This is in all likelihood the final coin of the type for the collection as I doubt there’s one out there I’ll like more.
KM13: 20 pfennig
KM6: 50 pfennig
KM8: 50 pfennig
KM15: 50 pfennig
KM17: ½ mark
I bought this from a dealer at a Long Beach show when first starting my trip to the darkside.
At the time I was just collecting with a World War I theme so a 1917 half mark fit the bill quite nicely. Just pulled it out of one of his boxes. Chatting via PM with forum member Udo revealed some interesting stuff about this coin. First, the silver from these coins came from melted 2 and 5 mark coins which were withdrawn from circulation in 1917. Additionally, to discourage hording they came with altered finishes, first shimmering blue from pickling and later blackening. This makes the bright white versions less common than I originally though.
As for the coin it’s very nice in every respect. Blast white with booming luster. The obligatory sharp strike. Just a few tics in the reverse fields limits the grade. I’m very happy with this coin and will likely not upgrade this one.
KM7: 1 mark
This coin is pretty good, added to the collection early in 2005 explicitly for this type set.
This type as been funny for me. Even before deciding on a type set I wanted a nice uncirculated early “skinny” eagle mark as a nice accompaniment to my “wide eagle” marks. I looked for several months unsuccessfully, only coming across many circulated and problem coins. Then, last year at the fall Long Beach I saw on in a bullion dealers case (not this one) raw which was pretty good, bought it and got it slabbed as MS64. Goal achieved - I’m happy! A month after getting the other one back from NGC I see this one in a fixed price offering in a World Coin News ad, no picture but already holdered. The price is right so I call for a description, account for dealer hyperbole and order it. For a whole year nothin’ and then twice in a month!
Once it arrived I was reasonably satisfied. For the lofty grade of MS67 I would have preferred just a but less chatter in the fields, but since I was willing to pay the same amount for a really MS66 holdered coin what the hay. I may just be a bit to harsh, the grading mistake I make most often when sending coins to NGC is the 66/67 break so it is likely accurately graded to NGC standards. Other than the little chatter the coin is great - excellent strike, luster and eye appeal.
I think it is unlikely I’ll come across a better coin so it’s a keeper.
KM14: 1 mark
This one is awesome, I can’t imagine replacing this coin.
This one came raw from a e-bay auction with a German seller. He had a BIN only auction offering several of these coins, all with the same date and mintmark, calling all the coins “MS67 practexamplar stempelglantz” from an original roll. I sent a PM to gmarguli asking what he thought about the coins, the price and the seller. He had some positive experience with him and liked the coins so we decided to buy them all (receiving a bulk lot discount in the deal). Happy times followed once they arrived with 90% of the coins eventually graded MS67 and the rest MS66 at NGC! Since this was before my full fledged coin-pimp days I just took a few leaving the bulk for Greg. The coin pictured here is the best overall of the bunch – a few had better obverses and a few better reverses but mine had the best balance.
This coin is one that makes my heart go pitter patter. Blast white except for a hint of rim toning. Never dipped. Satiny luster that you can see from across the room. Amazingly struck from what had to be a brand new die. Pristine surfaces with just a few tiny imperfections. Dreamy – I want to be buried with this one.
myEbay
DPOTD 3
09/07/2006
My OmniCoin Collection
My BankNoteBank Collection
Tom, formerly in Albuquerque, NM.
<< <i>Nice! I would have thought you have more minor coins from the German Empire, but then again I'm having some trouble at realizing what you really collect.
Still working up the photos with descriptions of the coins, their acquisition story and whether I'm satisfied to follow. Patience, this thread won't be complete in a day!
As for my collecting, I can see your point. Moslty, I'm a generalist adding cool stuff in a whimsical manner as it appears as long as it fits with the main theme is siver Germanic coinage.
In addition to this type set I'm collecting Austrian florins KM2222 by date (added one in each of the past three years, long way to go), a pre 1620 set of thalers from the seven electors of the Holy Roman Empire (two down five to go, several are very tough indeed), a run of thalers with portraits of the Emperors from Charles V through Francis II (about half way done), a set of Hapsburg Archduke thalers (four down, one to go).
I also dabble with Ottoman coinage and have a few nice French Indo China coins.
-JamminJ
Your coins are wonderful JamminJ
-JamminJ
Steve
is that you end up being governed by inferiors. – Plato
Obscurum per obscurius