Expert: Dmitry Livshits - 11/14/2009

Question
QUESTION: I have come across the following coin and was wondering about it and what it could be worth. On the front it says friedrich grosherzog von baden  1826 1907. Has a bearded man on the obverse. The back says deutsches reich 1907  funf mark and has the german shield in the middle that is an eagle with the wings spread out and a shield in the middle. This coin is in mint condition and appears to be made of silver. I have looked up some similar coins online but one exactly match this one. It is a very well struck coin.  Thanks

ANSWER: Hi again,
You would be hard-pressed to find one of these, being a scarce commemorative coin with a mintage of only 60,000. As you may have guessed, this coin is from the German state of Baden and commemorates the death of Friedrich I.
Authentication is highly recommended, but it sounds like a genuine coin. The real ones are very sharply struck, while modern Chinese fakes are usually more crude and less detailed. The reference weight for your coin is 27.7 grams, a fake would be around 25 grams or less.
The value fr a mint condition coin is between $250 and $350 depending on if there is full or partial luster.
Please don't forget to rate this answer.
Thanks again for the question! =)

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QUESTION: I got some digital scales out. 27.7 grams dead on the money. I had to take it out of its case to weigh it and I noticed the following on the rim. "UNS . GOTT . MIT" In between all the words are like vines with flowers on them. The coin is in mint state condition. If it were a Morgan I would guess it at MS 60 to 63. I am surprised at how well struck it is. I was asking a friend that knows some about german coins during the Hitler era. Is it true that the Nazi's melted many old silver coins during there rein? If this is true then the 60,000 made could be much lower. Kind of like our Pittman act that destroyed many of our silver dollars.
With the writing onthe rim and the weight matching, whats your thought of this being a genuine coin? I will attempt to get it authenticated if I find someone in my area.
Thanks and I am leaving your rating right now. Thank you very much.

Answer
Based on the excellent strike, perfect weight, and correct edge... you have a mint genuine coin.
The Nazi regime certainly did melt down old coins. Recycling was a standard thing for them, especially later in the war when they were loosing. Commemorative coins such as this were the exception. For this reason, many of the lower mintage German states commemorative coins are worth just a couple hundred. A US coin of that caliber would be a thousand or more. Actually, if you had the regular circulating (non-commemorative) 1907 5 mark, it would be worth less in low grade, about the same in mid grade and 2-3 times more in mint condition. Although there were four times as many minted many were melted down, as opposed to the commemorative issue.
For certified grading you can find a local representative on the company's websites.
Thanks again!