Bavaria. Ludwig III silver Specimen Pattern Mule Restrike "Golden Wedding Anniversary" 3 Mark 1918/1913-Dated (c. 1940) SP63 PCGS, Munich mint, KM-Unl. (cf. KM1010 for obverse, KM996 for reverse), J-Unl. (cf. J-54 for obverse, J-47 for reverse), AKS-Unl. (cf. AKS-212 for obverse, AKS-202 for reverse), Schaaf-pg. 148. Plain edge. Pairing a Golden Wedding Anniversary obverse with an Otto reverse die. Likely the most elusive type for this most fleeting post-unification German 3 Mark in the series. Compared to either the circulation striking of the standard 'Golden Wedding' 3 Mark (struck to a mintage of 130) or the Proof striking of the same design (mintage of c. 10), Jaeger knew of only a single example in the Staatliche Münzkabinett in Munich, suggesting that the piece on offer here may well be the sole specimen in private hands. While Jaeger himself states that pieces with a plain edge rather than the GOTT MIT UNS edge lettering were produced in the 1930s, Schaaf records that an example sold in Kress's Auction 123 (October 1962, Lot 4603, perhaps this same coin) was noted as being"restruck sometime around 1940." In either case, significantly rarer than the original emissions, with an exquisite eye appeal bolstered by Proof surfaces and peach undertones.

HID09801242017

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