Germany • Five mark
Matching normal German Empire silver five-mark types use the designated reference of 27.777 g gross mass, .900 silver and .8037 fine silver troy ounce. The dated tables below identify state, ruler, mintmark, actual issue years and exceptions. The photograph shows a 1900 Prussian Wilhelm II example; it is representative of that specific type, not every issuing state. Gold five-mark coins, later German five-mark currencies, patterns and unverified references are separate identities.
When a fresh spot bid is available, melt values use fine-metal content × spot bid. CashForCoins guide buying offers use the separately configured percentage for each metal. Selected rare/numismatic coins require an appraisal. Dollar amounts remain unavailable when a fresh quote or buying percentage is missing.
Exact reviewed annual issue dates for this assigned metal/weight scope. Mint, design, overdate and finish combinations remain type-specific; broader headings do not fill absent annual rows. Source precision exceptions and separate alloy standards are explained in the guide.
Formula: specified fine-metal troy ounces × quantity. Dollar melt value additionally requires an approved current metal price.
The 1900 Prussian example shows Wilhelm II facing right with his Prussian imperial title. Other normal state issues carry their own ruler portraits, paired commemorative portraits or civic arms. Hamburg, Bremen and Lübeck use city-arm designs rather than a monarch portrait. Read the entire state legend and mintmark before assigning a date to one of these types. The Württemberg Wilhelm II is a different ruler from the Prussian emperor.
The dated normal references generally carry the imperial eagle and a five-mark denomination, with eagle design and legend differences retained by type. The illustrated 1900 Prussian KM 523 has the later crowned imperial eagle. An earlier eagle, a joined-portrait anniversary, city arms or altered legend needs its own table attribution. Patterns and replicas can imitate a familiar denomination; the eagle motif alone does not certify metal or authenticity.
The inspected normal silver type references cover nineteen issuing states: Anhalt-Dessau, Baden, Bavaria, Bremen, Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel, Hamburg, Hesse-Darmstadt, Lübeck, Mecklenburg-Schwerin, Oldenburg, Prussia, Saxe-Altenburg, Saxe-Coburg-Gotha, Saxe-Meiningen, Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach, Saxony-Albertine, Schaumburg-Lippe, Waldeck-Pyrmont and Württemberg. Their distinct portraits, civic arms and commemorations share an imperial currency framework, but issue years differ substantially. A state having a two-mark, three-mark or gold issue does not establish a corresponding silver five-mark coin.
Match FUNF MARK or the actual five-mark denomination, complete state/ruler legend, date and mintmark against a reviewed dated type. The matching nominal mass is 27.777 g with .900 fineness. KM 523/KM 536 document 38 mm; the earlier inspected references do not document diameter. GOTT MIT UNS is recorded for KM 503,KM 512 andKM 523. No undocumented KM 536 edge measurement is inferred. Surface color or a weight check alone cannot authenticate alloy or manufacture.
Three matching reviewed silver five-mark coins contribute 2.4111 reference fine silver troy ounces and 83.331 nominal gross grams. The reference’s .8037 ASW is retained separately from rounded mass multiplication. A Prussian gold five mark KM 507 has a different 1.991 g/.900 gold standard and is excluded. Collector value, actual assay, wear and a purchase offer remain distinct from nominal silver content.
Calculation-approved year union for the explicitly matched .8037 oz references: 1874, 1875, 1876, 1888, 1889, 1891, 1892, 1893, 1894, 1895, 1896, 1898, 1899, 1900, 1901, 1902, 1903, 1904, 1906, 1907, 1908, 1909, 1911, 1913, 1914, 1915. This is not a continuous 1874–1915 range. Use the individual state/type rows to identify a particular coin; the same year can have several portraits or commemorations.
| State and the reference type | Actual listed years | Identification note |
|---|---|---|
| Anhalt-Dessau KM 24 | 1896 A | Friedrich I; twenty-fifth year of reign |
| Anhalt-Dessau KM 31 | 1914 A | Friedrich II and Marie; silver wedding anniversary |
| Baden KM 263.1 | 1875 G, 1876 G, 1888 G | Friedrich I head left |
| Baden KM 263.2 | 1875 G, 1876 G, 1888 G | Friedrich I legend with inverted V replacing A in BADEN |
| Baden KM 268 | 1891 G, 1893 G, 1894 G, 1895 G, 1898 G, 1899 G, 1900 G, 1901 G, 1902 G | Friedrich I head left |
| Baden KM 273 | 1902 | Friedrich I fiftieth year of reign; head right |
| Baden KM 274 | 1902 G, 1903 G, 1904 G, 1907 G | Friedrich I head right |
| Baden KM 277 | 1906 | Friedrich I and spouse; golden wedding anniversary |
| Baden KM 279 | 1907 | Death of Friedrich I; head right |
| Baden KM 281 | 1908 G, 1913 G | Friedrich II head left |
| Bavaria KM 896 | 1874 D, 1875 D, 1876 D | Ludwig II head right |
| Bavaria KM 907 | 1888 D | Otto head left; earlier eagle |
| Bavaria KM 915 | 1891 D, 1893 D, 1894 D, 1895 D, 1896 D, 1898 D, 1899 D, 1900 D, 1901 D, 1902 D, 1903 D, 1904 D, 1906 D, 1907 D, 1908 D, 1913 D | Otto head left |
| Bavaria KM 999 | 1911 D | Luitpold ninetieth-birthday subject; head right |
| Bavaria KM 1007 | 1914 D | Ludwig III head left |
| Bremen KM 251 | 1906 J | Crowned key shield and supporters |
| Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel KM 1163 | 1915 A | Ernst August wedding and accession; joined portraits right |
| Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel KM 1164 | 1915 A | Ernst August wedding and accession; joined portraits right with U. LUNEB added |
| Hamburg KM 598 | 1875 J, 1876 J, 1888 J | Helmeted city arms with lion supporters; earlier eagle |
| Hamburg KM 610 | 1891 J, 1893 J, 1894 J, 1895 J, 1896 J, 1898 J, 1899 J, 1900 J, 1901 J, 1902 J, 1903 J, 1904 J, 1907 J, 1908 J, 1913 J | Helmeted city arms with lion supporters; later eagle |
| Hesse-Darmstadt KM 353 | 1875 H, 1876 H | Ludwig III head right; earlier eagle |
| Hesse-Darmstadt KM 360 | 1888 A | Ludwig IV head right; earlier eagle |
| Hesse-Darmstadt KM 364 | 1891 A | Ludwig IV head right; later eagle |
| Hesse-Darmstadt KM 369 | 1895 A, 1898 A, 1899 A, 1900 A | Ernst Ludwig head left |
| Hesse-Darmstadt KM 373 | 1904 | Joined portraits; 400th birthday of Philipp the Magnanimous |
| Lübeck KM 213 | 1904 A, 1907 A, 1908 A, 1913 A | Double eagle with divided city shield on breast |
| Mecklenburg-Schwerin KM 334 | 1904 A | Friedrich Franz IV wedding; joined portraits left |
| Mecklenburg-Schwerin KM 341 | 1915 A | One hundred years as grand duchy; joined uniformed portraits |
| Oldenburg KM 203 | 1900 A, 1901 A | Friedrich August head left |
| Prussia KM 503 | 1874 A, 1875 A, 1875 B, 1876 A, 1876 B, 1876 C | Wilhelm I head right; earlier imperial eagle |
| Prussia KM 512 | 1888 A, 1888 A Proof | Friedrich III head right; earlier imperial eagle |
| Prussia KM 513 | 1888 A | Wilhelm II head right; earlier eagle |
| Prussia KM 523 | 1891 A, 1892 A, 1893 A, 1894 A, 1895 A, 1896 A, 1898 A, 1899 A, 1900 A, 1901 A, 1902 A, 1903 A, 1904 A, 1906 A, 1907 A, 1908 A, Common date Proof | Wilhelm II head right; later imperial eagle |
| Prussia KM 526 | 1901 A | Friedrich I and Wilhelm II; kingdom bicentenary |
| Prussia KM 536 | 1913 A, 1914 A, Common date Proof | Wilhelm II uniformed bust right; imperial eagle with breast shield |
| Saxe-Meiningen KM 197 | 1901 D | Georg II seventy-fifth birthday; head right with long beard |
| Saxe-Meiningen KM 201 | 1902 D, 1908 D | Georg II head left with short beard |
| Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach KM 218 | 1903 A | Wilhelm Ernst and Caroline; first marriage |
| Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach KM 220 | 1908 A | Johann Friedrich I portrait; 350th anniversary of Jena University |
| Saxony-Albertine KM 1237 | 1875 E, 1876 E, 1889 E | Albert head right |
| Saxony-Albertine KM 1246 | 1891 E, 1893 E, 1894 E, 1895 E, 1898 E, 1899 E, 1900 E, 1901 E, 1902 E | Albert head right; later eagle |
| Saxony-Albertine KM 1256 | 1902 E | Death of Albert; head right |
| Saxony-Albertine KM 1258 | 1903 E, 1904 E | Georg head right |
| Saxony-Albertine KM 1262 | 1904 E | Death of Georg subject; head right |
| Saxony-Albertine KM 1266 | 1907 E, 1908 E, 1914 E | Friedrich August III head right |
| Saxony-Albertine KM 1269 | 1909 | Leipzig University five-hundredth-anniversary joined portraits |
| Schaumburg-Lippe KM 50 | 1898 A, 1904 A | Albrecht Georg head left |
| Waldeck-Pyrmont KM 192 | 1903 A | Friedrich head left |
| Württemberg KM 623 | 1874 F, 1875 F, 1876 F, 1888 F | Karl I head right |
| Württemberg KM 632 | 1892 F, 1893 F, 1894 F, 1895 F, 1898 F, 1899 F, 1900 F, 1901 F, 1902 F, 1903 F, 1904 F, 1906 F, 1907 F, 1908 F, 1913 F | Wilhelm II of Württemberg head right |
The following .900 silver types have slightly different the reference precision and are displayed for identification, outside this page’s .8037 oz calculator assignment. These differences are not asserted to be separate physical alloys or newly established standards.
| Reference outside this calculator scope | Actual years | The reference gross mass | The reference silver content |
|---|---|---|---|
| Saxe-Altenburg KM 38 | 1901 A | 27.770 g | .8035 fine oz |
| Saxe-Altenburg KM 40 | 1903 A | 27.770 g | .8035 fine oz |
| Saxe-Coburg-Gotha KM 160 | 1895 A | 27.778 g | .8038 fine oz |
| Saxe-Coburg-Gotha KM 174 | 1907 A | 27.778 g | .8038 fine oz |
Baden legend distinctions include the normal A and inverted-V form; Brunswick 1915 types distinguish the added U. LUNEB legend. Prussia 1888 includes separate Friedrich III and Wilhelm II types, and 1901 has both single-portrait and bicentenary issues. Hesse 1904 proof describes a matte obverse and polished reverse. Proof, minor die, edge and portrait varieties retain exact attribution; the basic dated table is not an exhaustive die-variety catalogue. The reference’s Anhalt 1901 entry and the PCGS Baden 1874 checklist entry remain explicit identity discrepancies rather than invented normal issue dates. The 1902 Saxe-Meiningen long-beard subtype requires separately matched numerical documentation.
Retain ruler, state, year, mintmark and any documented finish. Common-date proof categories in a reference are not proof that any specific uncertified specimen is a proof. A different Imperial state or commemorative subject may command a different collector appraisal despite matching silver content. Preserve surfaces and established provenance rather than cleaning or assigning a scarce subtype from incomplete features.
Provide both complete faces and the edge, with measured mass and diameter where available. The 1900 reference photograph pair documents one matching Wilhelm II Prussian design and does not certify a coin offered for sale. Wrong state legends, altered dates, replicas, plating and unexplained dimensions require individual examination. Do not assume that a five-mark face value implies silver.
Sort reviewed Prussian silver five-mark types separately from gold pieces, unreviewed state issues and later German denominations. Keep each full date, mint and ruler legend with the photo pair. The existing CashForCoins enquiry accepts selected quantity as context without an automatic purchase offer. Nominal silver calculations describe a holding; collector and authentication decisions require further review.
The designated reference world-silver melt reference controls the core 27.777 g/.900/.8037 oz inputs. Actual indexed the reference dated-type tables were inspected for every listed state and annual row; years were not filled from broad headings. The independent primary PCGS normal silver-five-mark type and dated checklists were used to locate omissions and expose date discrepancies. Their registry weighting is not coin mass and is not republished. Saxe-Altenburg references retain 27.770 g/.8035 oz; Saxe-Coburg-Gotha references retain 27.778 g/.8038 oz. They remain outside the shared .8037 calculator assignment while their actual types are visible. Gold, bronze, copper patterns, silver patterns with missing inputs, and ambiguous dated identities do not inherit the circulation calculator. The paired photograph represents 1900 Prussia KM 523 only. The source references were reviewed on 2026-10-12. Match the state, portrait, year and exact reference before using a silver-content calculation.
The actual dated representative photographs and independent reuse permissions were inspected. Complete faces are retained, with WebP conversion and no enlargement, retouching or synthetic reconstruction; joined source images are split with complete rims. These photographs do not assay another specimen. Actual staging rendering and calculator acceptance are separately recorded.
Content maintained by CashForCoins. Last substantive record update: 2026-10-12. Report a specification or attribution issue through our contact page.
Photo credits and rights on the linked coin profile.
Germany • 90% silver; remaining alloy metals not independently verified
Issue years: 1873–1883, 1885–1887, 1891–1894, 1896, 1898–1916
Fine silver: 0.160600 troy oz
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