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Monday 23 September 2019

1091) 100th Anniversary of the Weimar Constitution: A 20 Euro Siver Coin issued by the German Federal Government: Coin Minted by the Berlin Mint: Year of issue: 2019:

1091) 100th Anniversary of the Weimar Constitution: A 20 Euro Siver Coin issued by the German Federal Government: Coin Minted by the Berlin Mint: Year of issue: 2019:


The German Federal Government has issued a 20 Euro Commemorative Coin to mark the 100th Anniversary of the Weimar Constitution - the era in which the German Republic immediately followed the abolition of the Imperial German government, which saw the dissolution of the various German kingdoms, Grand Duchies, Principalities and Free States (like Hamburg & Frankfurt).


These former royal holdings, after the formal abdication of Kaiser Wilhelm II on 09.11.1918, came together under a single Republic and were governed by the country's new Assembly, which sat for the first time on 06.02.1919 in the city of Weimar, Germany. 


The introduction of the Republic and the abdication of the emperor was the result of the 1918 Revolution, which came about with the loss of the Central Powers during World War I (The Great War). The transition from Monarchy to a Republic and the legitimacy of state power through the principle of popularly elected representatives was finalised by the time the new Assembly met for the first time.

The Reverse and Obverse of the 20 Euro Silver Coin placed together

The new Republican Constitution declared Germany to be a Democratic Parliamentary Republic with a legislature elected under the proportional representation with universal suffrage also being made legal with a minimum voting age of 20.

The Weimar Constitution was divided into two main parts which were divided into seven sections and five sub-sections, respectively, with over 180 articles in all.

The Republic's first President, Friedrich Ebert (1871-1925), signed the new German Constitution into law on  11.08.1919. New federal elections were held in Germany for the first time on 06.06.1920, in line with the rules of the Weimar Constitution.

The Coins:

The Coins have been struck at the Federal State Mint in Berlin and include the "A" mint mark of the Berlin Mint on the Reverse of the Coin.

On the Reverse of the 20 Euro Silver coin is seen at the centre in a circle a colour application of Germany's three-colour flag - consisting of three horizontal stripes of the same proportions of black, red and gold and which was initially introduced by the Weimar Constitution.

 The colours of black, red and gold represented the colours of the Centrist, Republican and Democratic political parties, which came together to form the new Republic.

The primary design is surrounded by text from the Constitution's first article, which states that Germany is a Republic governed by the consent of the people. The commemorative years "1919" and "2019" are placed closest to the central design.

The Obverse of the Silver 20 Euros Coin depicts a stylised eagle centred, the lettering "BUNDESREPUBLIK DEUTSCHLAND", the face value/denomination "20 EURO" and the year of issue "2019". The mint mark "A" of the Berlin State Mint is placed towards the centre right, and the 12 stars of the European Union are placed around the eagle.

The metallic composition "SILBER 925" is engraved below the eagle.

The Edge of the Coin is smooth and contains the incused inscription - "NATIONALVERSAMMLUNG WEIMAR 1919 (meaning "National Assembly 1919").

The specifications of the Silver coin are:

Denomination: 20 Euros; Metal Composition: .925 Silver (Ag); Weight: 18.0 grams; Diameter: 32.5 mm; Coin Quality (Two variants) : Brilliant Uncirculated (BU) with applied colour  and Proof with applied colour; Mintage: BU with applied colour - 120,000 and Proof with applied colour -45,000 pieces; Mint: Berlin Mint; Designer: Frantisek Chochola from Hamburg; Year of issue: 2019. 







For more posts on this blog on Coins from the Federal Republic of Germany Mints, please visit the following links:



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