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Auction: 13013 - Ancient, British and Foreign Coins and Commemorative Medals
Lot: 239

German New Guinea, an extremely rare pair of patterns for the gold coinage of the Neu-Guinea Compagnie, copper pattern 10-Marks 1895A, 3.98g, 19.3mm, and bronzed pattern 20-Marks 1895A, 4.10g, 23.3mm, value and date in palm wreath, rev. Bird of Paradise, the 20-Marks dulled but still some traces of lustre, uncirculated but some corrosion spots both sides, the 10-Marks uncirculated and with much lustre, both coins unlisted, the only known examples (2)

Production of the silver and copper coinage for New Guinea was commenced at the Berlin mint in 1894. The next year patterns for gold coins, the 10-Mark and 20-Mark, were produced, using the designs of the silver coinage, with only the centres of the obverses changed and appropriate denominations and dates added. The 1894 coins had won universal approval, the Bird of Paradise in particular being considered a beautifully conceived and executed design.

These two unpublished patterns are not produced from the finest and most detailed of dies (such as those used to produce the proof silver coins), but clearly they were sufficient for their purpose, for the concept was approved, and finely worked dies, with the details of the palm leaves and the bird's feathers more delicately cut, were ordered, and eventually produced. The resulting gold coins were exceptional, and today they are among the most highly prized of all the late 19th century colonial coins.

Sold for
£9,000