Set Description:
GERMAN EMPIRE (1871-1918)
The German Empire is, from a numismatic point of view, probably one of the most interesting fields in the history of German coinage. The empire was founded in 1871 and was ruled by three different emperors until it ended in 1918. Those three emperors were all Kings of Prussia:
Wilhelm I. (1871-1888)
Friedrich III. (1888)
Wilhelm II. (1888-1918)
On January 18, 1871, rulers of the individual German states agreed to unify and create a new German Empire with Wilhelm I as Emperor. Following unification, the coinage of the Empire became standardized as to denominations and types, though the individual states retained their identities on the denominations of 2 Marks and above.
Minor coins, 1 Pfennig to 1 Mark, circulated throughout the new Empire and replaced local currencies such as Hellers, Kreuzers, Groschen, and others. Each coin bore a generic design that reinforced the concept of a German Empire in the minds of the general public. Denominations of 2 Marks and above were state-specific, but shared a common reverse design.
With Germany’s defeat in World War I the German Empire, also known as the 2nd Reich, came to an end, and so did the German Empire 1 Mark.
|