1921 German 50 Pfennig coin question

Prethen

What is that "bunched up" on the obverse of the 1921 German 50 Pfennig and what do the words translate to?

Also, in the post WW II years, an oak twig and lady planting an oak seedling are portrayed on the obverse...what's the story behind those images?

Thanks for any information in advance.

1jester

The lady planting an oak seedling symbolizes the rebirth of the German nation after the war.

Please post a picture of the obverse of the coin so we can translate it for you.

Prethen

Here's the obverse image of the 1921 50 Pfennig...

Sapyx

It looks like it says, "Gich regen bringt Gegen". But that's not what it says - those "G"s are fancy "S"s.

"Sich regen, bringt Segen" is an old German proverb meaning "Working brings Blessing". It was used as a motto by the old Weimar Republic.

Rickc300

Perfect translation in my book... Sad to say that I have been collecting German coins for over 25 years and never bothered to look that up!

<< <i>What is that "bunched up" on the obverse >>

That is a sheaf of wheat stalks. I have no idea what the meaning behind that is, probably like the US wheat pennies. I never thought about it, is there a reason there?

BTW, even though aluminum is very soft, these coins almost always look like they have a "mushy" strike or were struck with very worn dies. Yours shows weak rims, undefined stalks and mint luster... Typical of this series of coins. A really nice example will usually bring 3-4 times catalog in AU-UNC. This set is complete in my collection and all are AU or better but I only have one "nice" one. My guess it is like trying to complete a Mercury dime collection with full bands (much less expensive though).

Are you collecting German coins? or did you just come across this by chance?

Regards and happy collecting!

Rick

Sapyx

I assume the combination of a sheaf of wheat and the motto would send a message, something like "everyone get out there, work hard and produce things, otherwise we'll never pay off this massive debt which losing the war saddled us with".

Conder101

A sheaf of wheat is kind of a universal symbol for agriculture or agricultural products. Can also be interpreted to indicate productivity (plants, farmers, growth, produce, production etc get the idea.)

One reason the coins tend to appar mushy is although aluminum is very soft, it is very abrasive to the dies and causes them to wear very quickly. Aluminum reacts almost instantly with the oxygen i the air to form a protective layer of aluminum oxide on the surface of the planchet. Now aluminum oxide is one of the hardest substances known to man. (Rates a 9 on the hardness scale, only diamond at 10 is harder. Your best "sandpaper" or carborundum paper is made of aluminum oxide.) So when the coins are struck and the planchet expands this hard abrasive coating is scraped over the surface of the die and soon wears it out.

1jester

Wow, didn't know that, Conder! Thanks for the endarkenment.

Prethen

Excellent responses guys! I'm not a collector of darkside material but I am trying to put together some material for a Judaica history display through numismatics. This coin is a representive of three different republics I'm showing, including Nazi Germany and the new national current afterwards.

The tough (and expensive!) part will be trying to hook up with a respectable dealer in ancient Judaica for some nice pieces that won't break the bank.

Udo

Very great responses here!

And there's another simple reason why they used this motif:

Those were the first coins minted in young Weimar Republic and at the time there was only one thing clear-cut: No coin should bear a monarchistic symbol anymore. But the government hadn't decided for a new emblem of the Republic yet! So they simply chose a sheaf of wheat stalks.

cacheman

<< <i>Very great responses here!

And there's another simple reason why they used this motif:

Those were the first coins minted in young Weimar Republic and at the time there was only one thing clear-cut: No coin should bear a monarchistic symbol anymore. But the government hadn't decided for a new emblem of the Republic yet! So they simply chose a sheaf of wheat stalks. >>



cool...