The 5 DM silver eagle is undoubtedly a national German legend: like no other 5 DM coin, it is closely linked to German history, the post-war period, the former German Chancellor Konrad Adenauer and the German economic miracle in the 1950s.
The silver-five are the last silver coins of the Federal Republic of Germany and have developed over the years to a popular collecting area. In the early 20th century the term Heiermann was also used for the coin - derived from "Heuer", the wages of a sailor.
A total of 19 vintages of the silver eagle were produced in the German mints. The 5 DM silver coin was first minted in 1951. From 1956 to 1974 it was finally minted annually (exception: 1962).
5 DM coins made of 625 silver from 1951 to 1974
In 1951, the Federal Republic of Germany began minting coins with a face value of five German marks.
These were made of 625 silver and had a rough weight of 11.2 grams. So each silver 5 DM piece contained exactly 7 grams of fine silver. The design of the coin was made by Prof. Albert Holl.
The 5 DM pieces with the year 1951 are the ones that had the highest number of copies of all silver 5s. A proud 79.6 million copies were minted by them.
Because of the heraldic animal and the silver contained, these coins were affectionately called "silver eagles" by the Germans at an early date.
Specifications of the 5 DM silver eagle
| Weight: | 11.2 g (7 g silver) | Fineness: | 625/1000 |
| Nominal value: | DM 5 (German mark) | Mints: | D, F, G, J |
| diameter: | 29 millimeters |
The mint mark on the value side indicates the German mint where the coin was produced. From 1956, the silver eagle was minted by the four following German mints, with a few exceptions :
- D Bavarian Main Mint Office Munich
- F State Mint Stuttgart
- G Karlsruhe State Mint
- J Hamburg Mint
The most valuable silver eagle: 1958 J
In 1958 only 60,000 copies of the silver eagle were minted in the Hamburg Mint (J). This made the silver eagle 1958 J the rarest and most sought-after of the entire coin series. It is currently valued at 4,500 euros in the minting quality minting gloss.
This makes it (in the appropriate quality) next to the first 5-DM commemorative coin to the most expensive silver coin of the Federal Republic of Germany. However, this issue is also one of the most frequently counterfeited coins in Germany. Therefore it is recommended to buy this coin only from a trustworthy coin dealer.
Setting the series
The silver eagle or Heiermann was one of the most popular coins of the Germans: many collectors were all the more disappointed when the silver eagle was replaced by a new 5 DM coin from 1974 onwards.
The reason for the new 5-DM coin was the increased silver price, which made a further minting of the silver eagle too expensive and the high silver price threatened to exceed the nominal value. However, this was only the official reason - in fact there was another, also very important, if not decisive reason:
Reasons for the final end of the silver eagle
The rising silver price was the main reason for the discontinuation of silver eagle circulation coins. As another reason, it is speculated that it may also have been due to complaints from vending machine manufacturers, as more and more 5 DM coins were counterfeited, which led to a considerable loss of revenue. To counteract this, the Federal Ministry of Finance awarded a contract to the industry to produce a special coin material that could easily be recognized as real money by modern vending machines. The choice fell on the "magnetic material" developed by ThyssenKrupp, called "Magnimat". It has a special magnetizable nickel core that could be quickly and reliably recognized as real coin by an electromagnet inside a vending machine. Forging this proved to be so technically complicated that it would not be worthwhile for the criminals. This finally put a stop to the massive counterfeiting of coins. Presumably this was kept secret, because there were still some older vending machines that still accepted the old silver eagles, although they were officially out of circulation since August 1, 1975
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