Another modern gold coin -- but not from the UK!

[DonnaML]

 

We don't seem to have an existing thread for World gold coins -- apart from the several threads in which I've posted my British gold coins, and apart from @CPK's wonderful new thread, which isn't specifically for gold -- so I thought I might start one myself for such coins, on the occasion of one of my new arrivals from the August Leu Numismatik auction. 

GERMAN EMPIRE, Preußen. Wilhelm II, AV 10 Marks 1912, Berlin Mint. Obv. Bare head of Wilhelm II right, WILHELM II DEUTSCHER KAISER KÖNIG V. PREUSSEN; Mintmark A below / Rev. Crowned Imperial Eagle, head left, DEUTSCHES REICH 1912; beneath, 10 MARK. 19 mm, 4.00 g, 12 h. Jaeger 251 [Jaeger, Kurt, Die deutschen Münzen seit 1871 (22^nd ed., Regenstauf 2011)]; Yeoman 123a [see Chester R. Krause & Clifford Mishler, Standard Catalog of World Gold Coins (2^nd ed. 1988), at p. 255]; Friedberg 87 [Robert Friedberg, Gold Coins of the World (5^th ed. 1980)]. Purchased from Leu Numismatik AG, Winterthur, Switzerland, Web Auction 22, 21 Aug. 2022, Lot 1367; ex collection of Dr. Max Blaschegg (1930-2021) (see https://coinsweekly.com/whoswho-sammler/blaschegg-dr-med-max-1930-2021/ ), with collector's ticket.  [Final year of issue for this type.]

 

I thought this coin was in better condition than most Wilhelm II gold 10 and 20 mark pieces I see for sale at retail (e.g., at Numiscorner a/k/a CDM [“Comptoir des Monnaies"]), the majority of which seem to have multiple bag marks and other small scratches. It's only my second German gold coin. The other one (which I have never photographed, but plan to do so soon) is a Friedrich III gold 10 marks coin from 1888, which my notes indicate I bought on Feb. 21, 1986 at Macy's in Herald Square -- back when there not only was a Macy's there, but it still had a coin department! (Note the dates of the two English-language World gold coin catalogs I cite for this coin; the 1980s is the decade when I bought most of the gold coins in my original collection. The Friedrich III was among the few I didn't sell back around 2015; I also kept most of my British sovereigns and half-sovereigns from Victoria onwards, which wouldn't have yielded anything much higher than bullion value.)

Anyway, I thought that if I were ever going to buy another German gold coin to go with my various modern gold coins from the UK and France, it might as well be one minted in Berlin, issued by the Kaiser who was on the throne when my maternal grandfather was born there in 1894. (As many of you know, even after the formation of the German Empire in 1871, many of the individual German states continued to issue their own gold coins depicting their own King [Bavaria] or Grand Duke, etc. on the obverse, but all with the same Imperial eagle on the reverse. If I had the money to spare, a collection of all the different obverse types from the various states might be fun to collect.)

Please post your own modern gold coins. I will do so myself, at least to the extent of my three modern French gold coins, for which I have individual photos (as opposed to my British gold, for which I mostly just have group photos together in their tray)

 

Edited September 16, 2022 by DonnaML

[CPK]

Very beautiful coin!

I don't own many gold coins - just a few sovereigns - but I should get them out and take some photos.

[DonnaML]

Until fairly recently, I had never had a French gold coin -- even though my paternal grandfather was born in 1887 in Paris, where his parents lived for a number of years on their way from Eastern Europe to the USA, and even though a couple of branches of my mother's family lived in Alsace for a couple of hundred years after it became part of France in 1648.

Here are the three French gold coins I now own, in order of their purchase.

France, Third Republic, AU (.900 fineness) 10 Francs, 1911, Paris Mint. Obv. Laureate bust of Marianne right, wearing oak-wreath encircling Phrygian cap (cap of liberty), REPUBLIQUE FRANÇAISE around, initials J.C.C. in lower right field [for engraver Jules-Clément Chaplain] / Rev. Gallic rooster walking left in meadow of flowers, LIBERTE·EGALITE·FRATERNITE around, 10 - Fcs across fields; in exergue, 1911 flanked by privy marks of cornucopiae to left and torch to right (representing Mint Director and Chief Engraver, respectively). 19 mm., 3.2 g. Gadoury 1017, KM (Krause-Mishler) 846, Yeoman 65.

France, Second Republic, AU (.900 fineness) 20 Francs, 1848, Paris Mint (mintage 1,544,043). Obv. Génie (Winged Genius) of France standing three-quarters right, using right hand to inscribe Constitution of 1848 on tablet set on column, holding tablet upright with left hand; date “24.25 FEV./1848” inscribed on tablet in two lines*; in left field, fasces topped by Main de Justice (Hand of Justice) with two fingers raised in blessing gesture; in right field, Gallic rooster standing left; RÉPUBLIQUE FRANÇAISE around; in exergue, signature “Dupré” [for engraver Augustin Dupré] / Rev. Denomination and year 20/FRANCS/1848 in three lines encircled by oak-leaf wreath; LIBERTÉ ÉGALITÉ FRATERNITÉ around; below wreath, Mintmark “A” [= Paris] flanked on left by privy mark of hand with forefinger pointing right, and on right by privy mark of dog’s head right (the marks of the Mint Director [for period 1846-60] and Chief Engraver [for period 1843-55], respectively)/ Edge inscription DIEU PROTEGE LA FRANCE ⁎⁎⁎. 21 mm., 6.46 g. KM (Krause-Mishler) 757, Yeoman 8.*



*The dates of 24-25 Feb. 1848 inscribed on the tablet on the obverse signify the dates during the Revolution of 1848 in France when King Louis Philippe abdicated (24 Feb. 1848) and the opposition began meeting to organize the Second Republic and draft the Constitution of 1848. (See https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/French_Revolution_of_1848.) The gold 20 Francs coin with an obverse depicting a standing Genius and a tablet with these dates inscribed was issued in only two years, 1848 and 1849. The obverse design was revived from 1871-1914, but without any inscription on the tablet.

France, Second Republic, AU (.900 fineness) 20 Francs, 1849, Paris Mint (mintage 61,092). Obv. Head of Cérès right wearing wreath of oak-leaves and ears of corn (grain); in left field, fasces topped by Main de Justice (Hand of Justice) with two fingers raised in blessing gesture; in right field, laurel branch; REPUBLIQUE ⁎ FRANÇAISE around; beneath head of Cérès, L. MERLEY. F. [for engraver Louis Merley; F. = Fecit (he made this)] / Rev. Denomination 20/Francs in two lines encircled by wreath consisting of laurel branch to left and oak branch to right, tied together by ribbon at bottom; beneath ribbon, mintmark “A” [= Paris] above year 1849, flanked on left by privy mark of hand with forefinger pointing right, and on right by privy mark of dog’s head right (the marks of the Mint Director [for period 1846-60] and Chief Engraver [for period 1843-55], respectively)/ Edge inscription DIEU PROTEGE LA FRANCE ⁎⁎⁎. 21 mm., 6.43 g. KM (Krause-Mishler) 762, Yeoman 10.*



*This type of gold 20 francs coin with Cérès on the obverse was issued only for the three-year period 1849-1851 (overlapping in its first year with the second and final year of the Génie type), and was replaced in 1852 by the 20 francs piece bearing the image of Napoleon III on the obverse, minted from 1852-1870. The 1849 Cérès 20 francs coin is the rarest of the three, with a mintage of only around 60,000, compared to approximately 4 million in 1850 and 13 million in 1851.

[JayAg47]

King Tut from Somalia! I've been meaning to get more modern gold, but it's much more harder to save up when I see some really good deals on ancients here and there.

Not an official coin but a bullion, featuring Lakshmi, goddess of fortune and wealth.

[shanxi]

Bavaria, 20 Mark, 1905

[expat]

Aside from my British sovereigns, here are two

Mintage of 250,000 struck in proof only TypeNon-circulating coin Year1979 Value100 Dollars 100 CAD = EUR 76 CurrencyCanadian dollar (1858-date) CompositionGold (.917) Weight16.965 g Diameter27 mm Thickness2.2 mm ShapeRound TechniqueMilled OrientationCoin alignment ↑↓ NumberN# 41897 ReferencesCh# RC-3104, KM# 126 Austrian Empire, Franz Joseph TypeStandard circulation coin Years1870-1892 Value8 Florins = 20 Francs CurrencyAustro-Hungarian gulden (decimalized, 1857-1892) CompositionGold (.900) Weight6.4516 g Diameter21 mm Thickness1.2 mm ShapeRound TechniqueMilled OrientationMedal alignment ↑↑ DemonetizedYes NumberN# 17723 ReferencesKM# 2269

[Qcumbor]

Nice and shiny coins

 

 

Q

[DonnaML]

Great coins; keep them coming. If only Panzerman were here!

I realized that I do have individual photos of a few of my British gold coins. I will take photos of some more when I get a chance.

George II AV Half-Guinea 1756, Spink 3685, KM 587. By John Croker. Obv. Old laureate head left, GEORGIUS·II· DEI·GRATIA· / Rev. Ornate crowned quartered shield of arms, divided date above, legend around, ·M·B·F·ET·H·REX·F·D·B·ET·L·D·S·R·I·A·T·ET·E·17 – 56 [King of Great Britain France and Ireland Defender of the Faith Duke of Brunswick and Lüneburg Arch-Treasurer and Elector of the Holy Roman Empire]. 20 mm., 4.2 g. Purchased from Dix Noonan Webb Auction (now Noonans) 252, 12 April 2022, Lot 175.

George III AV Third Guinea 1810. S.3740, Friedberg 367, K.M. 650 (Rev. Crown). Purchased March 2022 from Auktionen & Münzenhandel Dr. Christoph Stadler e. K, Bremen, Germany.

 

 

George IV AV Sovereign 1826 S.3801 (Rev. Crowned shield). Purchased from Dix Noonan Webb [now Noonans], Auction 251, 8 March 2022, Lot 359.

Edited September 16, 2022 by DonnaML

[DonnaML]

11 hours ago, shanxi said:

Bavaria, 20 Mark, 1905

That's exactly what I was talking about in terms of all the formerly separate German states continuing to issue their own gold coins after the Empire was formed in 1871 (for various time-periods, all ending in 1914 or earlier), with their own obverses but all with the Imperial eagle on the reverse. The only states that continued to have their own Kings on their gold coins, besides Prussia itself (DEUTSCHER KAISER KÖNIG V. PREUSSEN), were Bavaria,  Saxony, and Württemberg. There were Princes on the gold coins of Reuss (both Older and Younger Lines), Schaumburg-Lippe, Schwarzburg-Rudolfstadt, Schwarzburg-Sondershausen, and Waldeck. There were Grand Dukes on the gold coins issued by Baden, Hesse, Mecklenburg-Schwerin, Mecklenburg-Strelitz, Oldenburg, and Saxony-Weimar. Mere Dukes on the gold coins of Anhalt, Brunswick, Saxony Altenburg, Saxony-Coburg-Gotha, and Saxony-Meiningen. The Free Cities of Bremen, Hamburg, and Lubeck also issued their own gold coins. So I count 23 different German entities that issued their own gold coins after 1871, in addition to Prussia itself. That would be some collection to have at least one from each!

Edited September 16, 2022 by DonnaML

[shanxi]

12 minutes ago, DonnaML said:

hat would be some collection to have at least one from each!

Yes, many of them are available not far above the price of gold, but some are so extremely expensive that I can think of many coins that I would rather buy. 

[ChrisB]

I have been picking up some random gold coins over the last few years when they can be purchased reasonably.

1915 (restrike) Austria 100 Corona

 

Belgium 1870 20 Francs

 

Brazil 1771 1000 Reis

 

The next 2 were ones that I would not consider reasonable but I "needed" them.

Chile 1845 8 Escudos - Really expensive in high grade. Being in an AU55 holder helped fit my budget. 

1794 Colombia 8 Escudos - these are selling for silly money right now. If I wanted to I could turn a nice profit. 

[UkrainiiVityaz]

[Qcumbor]

Q

[expat]

A sovereign, because I love 'em

 

 

[UkrainiiVityaz]

[akeady]

The only gold coins struck in Ireland for circulation were pistole and double pistole coins of 1646.   Today, some non-circulating gold coins are struck - usually very small €20 coins - they started at 1.24g, fell to 1.00g and now are only 0.50g.   Occasionally, there are larger coins - the 50 Ecu coin, the €100 Antarctic Explorers coin, the 2016 0.5oz & 0.25oz coins and the 2019 0.5oz coin.   Here are a couple of the larger ones.

2016 0.25oz coin (€50).   The larger €100 coin had sold out when I remembered to try to order one:

The 2019 100th anniversary of the First Dáil (parliament) 0.5oz (€100).   I don't think much of the design of this coin, but I try to keep up with the issues (there aren't too many):

ATB,
Aidan.

Edited September 17, 2022 by akeady

[DonnaML]

8 minutes ago, akeady said:

The only gold coins struck in Ireland for circulation were pistole and double pistole coins of 1646.   Today, some non-circulating gold coins are struck - usually very small €20 coins - they started at 1.24g, fell to 1.00g and now are only 0.50g.   Occasionally, there are larger coins - the 50 Ecu coin, the €100 Antarctic Explorers coin, the 1916 0.5oz & 0.25oz coins and the 1919 0.5oz coin.   Here are a couple of the larger ones.

2016 0.25oz coin (€50).   The larger €100 coin had sold out when I remembered to try to order one:

The 2019 100th anniversary of the First Dáil (parliament) 0.5oz (€100).   I don't think much of the design of this coin, but I try to keep up with the issues (there aren't too many):

ATB,
Aidan.

50 Ecu or 50 Euros?

I really like your first one.

 

[akeady]

19 minutes ago, DonnaML said:

50 Ecu or 50 Euros?

I really like your first one.

 

Thanks, Donna.

There was a gold 50 Ecu coin struck before the Euro name was fixed - ECU stood for European Currency Unit.   I have a couple of the silver ones struck at the same time (5 & 10 Ecu):

A similar design with a red deer was used for the £1 coin which was also first struck in 1990.

I suspect the Ecu name was dropped as it was too French!

ATB,

Aidan.

[shanxi]

A 900 gold medal from my Artemis/Diana collection

Schwegerle Diana/Artemis

Medal 1966 (design 1938) by Hans Schwegerle (1882 – 1950) Obv: DEUTSCHES JAGDMUSEUM MÜNCHEN, NEUERÖFFNUNG 1966, Diana left with dog Rev.: stag, two dogs Au 900, 36.3mm, 24.02g

[DonnaML]

22 hours ago, shanxi said:

A 900 gold medal from my Artemis/Diana collection

Schwegerle Diana/Artemis

Medal 1966 (design 1938) by Hans Schwegerle (1882 – 1950) Obv: DEUTSCHES JAGDMUSEUM MÜNCHEN, NEUERÖFFNUNG 1966, Diana left with dog Rev.: stag, two dogs Au 900, 36.3mm, 24.02g

Beautiful!

[DonnaML]

After 36 1/2 years, I  finally got around to taking a quick photo this evening of the other German gold 10 marks coin I had before I bought the Wilhelm II example posted in the OP. I purchased it at Macy's(!) in 1986. 

German Empire, Preußen. Friedrich III, AV 10 marks 1888A (Berlin Mint). Obv. Bare head of Friedrich III right, FRIEDRICH DEUTSCHER KAISER KÖNIG V. PREUSSEN; Mintmark A below / Rev. Crowned Imperial Eagle, head left, DEUTSCHES REICH 1888; beneath, 10 MARK. KM 514 [George S. Cuhaj & Thomas Michael, Standard Catalog of World Gold Coins (6th ed. 2009), at p. 572]; Yeoman 118 [see Chester R. Krause & Clifford Mishler, Standard Catalog of World Gold Coins (2nd ed. 1988)]. Purchased Feb. 21, 1986 at Macys Herald Square, New York, NY.

It seems that the last updated edition of the Krause Mishler Standard Catalog of World Gold Coins was the 6th edition, published in 2009.  It's more than a decade old -- does Krause Mishler still even exist as a publisher? -- but nonetheless it's 20 years more recent than the old 2nd edition I've had since the late 1980s. I was able to buy a digital copy for only $1.51, and after downloading it I discovered that in the interim German gold coins were finally given their own KM numbers rather than merely cited with Yeoman numbers, as was the case in the 2nd edition. I cited both for this coin. The Wilhelm II 10 Marks coin I posted in the OP is KM 520. 

[Alegandron]

Nice one @DonnaML.

I enjoy gold:  Ancient, World, US, etc.  It has a very cool, rich history from early Civilization to some of the odd laws/beliefs we had during the late 1800's, culminating in the 1933 US "banning" of gold.  My collection is probably larger than my Ancients.  I was of that generation that when I was learning and growing up collecting some coins, that you could not "own" any Gold coins.  That probly became my "motivator" to expand my "gold opportunities".  🙂

Several of my favorites are the Mexico 50 Pesos.  Neat coins, 1.2 TOZ and you really get the heavy feel and specific gravity of a gold coin:

 

Prussian Coin

Germany-Prussia Wlhelm I 1874 A

[Alegandron]

I really enjoy these "golds" because of the rich history and interest to me:

PERSIA Achaemenid Daris I-Xerxes II 485-420 BC AV Daric 14mm 8.3g LydoMilesian Sardes king wearing kidaris kandys quiver spear bow Incuse Carr Type IIIb Group A-B pl XIII 27

 

Carthage - Zeugitana AV 1-10th Stater-Shekel 350-320 BCE 0.94g 7.5mm Palm- Horse Head SNG COP 132

[antwerpen2306]

One of my oldest modern gold coins :

Kingdom Sardinia, 80 lire, 1828, 33 mm, 25.8 gr (900%), 23000 ex.

obverse : CAR.FELIX.D.G.REX SAR.CYP.ET HIER , date 1828

reverse : DUX SAB.GENVAE ET MONTISF.PRINC.PED.&, value L.80

 

[DonnaML]

A new (and technically "modern") gold coin, namely a George III "spade guinea." I've been looking for one to buy for a while, to replace the one I sold years ago. Most of the ones I see that aren't super-expensive seem to be full of small scratches and dings; this was one of the nicer ones I've come across, so I decided to bid on it:

George III AV Spade Guinea 1793, Spink 3729, KM 609 [Standard Catalog of World Gold Coins (6^th ed 2009) at p. 693], Bull 723 (ill. p. 554) [Maurice Bull, English Gold Coinage 1649-1816 (Spink 2020)]. Obv. Laureate bust right (5^th bust “H”), GEORGIVS • I I I • DEI • GRATIA • / Rev. Crowned spade-shaped shield, quartered; around, M•B•F•ET•H•REX•F•D•B•ET•L•D•S•R•I•A•T•ET•E• [King of Great Britain France and Ireland Defender of the Faith Duke of Brunswick and Lüneburg Arch-Treasurer and Elector of the Holy Roman Empire], 1793 beneath shield (date var. with Italic “1”, high “7” linked to shield,  “9” not touching shield; see Bull p. 554). 24 mm., 8.40 g. Purchased from Noonans Auction 260, 28 Sep 2022, Lot 1437.*

*See Bull p. 549, explaining the rather unusual appearance of the spade guineas (somewhat resembling an ancient clipped siliqua!): “To discourage the illegal practice of clipping the legends were intended to be very close to the edge of the flan. As a result, due to the slight variations in the diameter of the blank flans and the occasional subtle miss-alignment in striking, tops of some of the lettering are often missing.”

A few more gold coins of George II, III, & IV (I also have a George I guinea, one of the few gold coins I bought decades ago and never sold, but haven't taken an individual photo of it):

George II AV Half-Guinea 1756, Spink 3685, KM 587, Bull 658. By John Croker. Obv. Old laureate head left, GEORGIUS·II· DEI·GRATIA· / Rev. Ornate crowned quartered shield of arms, divided date above, legend around, ·M·B·F·ET·H·REX·F·D·B·ET·L·D·S·R·I·A·T·ET·E·17 – 59 [King of Great Britain France and Ireland Defender of the Faith Duke of Brunswick and Lüneburg Arch-Treasurer and Elector of the Holy Roman Empire]. 20 mm., 4.2 g. Purchased from Dix Noonan Webb Auction (now Noonans) 252, 12 April 2022, Lot 175.

George III AV Third Guinea 1810, Spink 3740, Friedberg 367, KM 650, Bull 879 (Rev. Crown). Purchased March 2022 from Auktionen & Münzenhandel Dr. Christoph Stadler e. K, Bremen, Germany.

George IV AV Sovereign 1826, Spink 3801, KM 700 (Rev. Crowned shield). Purchased from Dix Noonan Webb [now Noonans], Auction 251, 8 March 2022, Lot 359.

Edited October 6, 2022 by DonnaML