WWII German Coins

jamesfsm

Why are choice to gem BU German 5 Mark coins from WWII so hard to find?

Were most melted?

Preussen

I would imagine quite a few were melted, and I doubt that many folks collected them at the time, so few pieces seem to have survived in Choice condition. I am currently working on a set of Third Reich 2 and 5 Marks (all types, dates & mints). My goal is to get all of them in the best possible condition. I enjoy working on this (mostly) inexpensive set, but it is a tough one to complete.

I lack only 11 coins to complete the set (I believe there are 99 total in a complete set) but some are far from Choice BU. Some of them seem to be nonexistent in any grade of Uncirculated. Ron Guth has a complete set, and he told me that he has never seen certain pieces in Uncirculated condition.

I also have a complete Third Reich Type Set (including military & allied occupation issues), with several examples in Proof . - Preussen

Edited to add:

3Mark

<< <i>Why are choice to gem BU German 5 Mark coins from WWII so hard to find?

Were most melted? >>



If you listen to the people on ebay, they were melted. Actually, they were recalled in 1948 and replaced by the Bank Deutschlander issue. Preussen is correct, some are unknown in unc. and I have heard that the 1935J Church is unknown in unc.3Mark

jamesfsm

What do you think a type WWII 2 Mark and 5 Mark coin is worth in say, MS64 or MS65??

Preussen

Hmmm… I never thought about it. I don’t collect for the “worth.” I suppose you could get an idea by adding up the values up in Krause, but “money trend” would probably give a more accurate estimate of what it might cost to assemble a set. The important question is: can you actually complete a set?

Most pieces are relatively inexpensive if you can find them…that’s the challenge & the fun . Completing a set in true MS65 (or even 64) condition would be a challenge indeed. I seriously doubt that it's possible. I am very pleased to have found some of them in MS63.

The most expensive pieces are the 1936-J Hindenburg 2 Mark, the Schiller 5M, and the Luther 5Ms. Some of the “Church” 5Ms are somewhat pricey and most are hard to find really nice. Money Trend lists the value of the 1936-J 2 Mark at €660 (nearly $800). I have that one in nice BU (paid much less ), but some of the “lesser” coins have eluded me in MS, so which are actually scarcer?

I really don’t know how much a set is worth to anyone else, but I enjoy mine. I decided to collect the series for the history, challenge and pride of ownership; partially inspired by Ron Guth telling me of the challenge it is to complete a set. - Preussen

Edited to add: I just noticed that you said "type" in your last post. One of each type in MS65 would be hard, but it can be done. You'd need a 2M Church, Hindenburg, Luther & Schiller plus the 5M Church with date, without date, Hindenburgs with & without swastika, Luther & Schiller.