20-mark piece, Frederick I, German Emperor, 1888
Unknown Artist
1888
Medium
Gold
Dimensions
Diameter: 7/8 in. (22 mm.)
Classification
Coins
Culture
German
Department
European Sculpture and Decorative Arts
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Gift of H.R. Ickelheimer, 1909
Accession Number
09.9.10
Tags
Art Historical Context
This gleaming 20-mark gold coin, minted in 1888, honors Frederick III, who reigned as German Emperor for just 99 days following the death of his father, Wilhelm I. Struck during a pivotal moment in the German Empire's history, it captures the brief era of liberal hopes under Frederick, a progressive figure whose untimely death from throat cancer thrust his son Wilhelm II onto the throne. As official currency, these coins circulated widely, symbolizing imperial authority and economic stability in the newly unified Germany. Crafted from pure gold with a precise diameter of 22 mm, the coin exemp...