This article first appeared on RTL.de.
We have been paying in euros since January 2002, but the good old mark is still in circulation. At the end of 2022, according to the Deutsche Bundesbank, there were still notes worth around 5.71 billion Deutschmarks and coins worth around 6.58 billion Deutschmarks. Reason enough to take a look inside your own four walls to see if there are still one or two marks hidden in old bags, purses or cracks in the sofa.
A listing by MDM Münzhandelsgesellschaft shows that the search is worthwhile. Depending on the minting, coins can be worth up to 5,000 euros today. How much money you get for which mark and how to recognize rare coins – we give an overview!
You can make the most profit with 2 Pfennig coins that were minted before 1969. The 2 pfennig coins were made of pure copper at that time. Then they were made of copper-plated iron. From the outside, the two metal variants can hardly be distinguished from each other. However, unlike the iron coins, the copper coins are not magnetic. Anyone who suspects that they own one of the rare 2-pfennig coins needs a magnet to test it.
In 2001, according to the MDM Münzhandelsgesellschaft, a 2-pfennig piece from 1969 with the mint J was auctioned for DM 2,500. As early as 2007, the catalog price for well-preserved pure copper coins was already between 2,000 and 5,000 euros – so the trend is rising.
There is not quite as much for a well-preserved 5-mark piece from 1958 with the embossed stamp J. According to the “Sammlernet” portal, this can fetch between 800 and 4,000 euros. A 5-mark piece with an F stamp is still worth up to 500 euros.
You can also earn a few hundred euros with the mis-stamping of a 50-pfennig piece from 1950. At that time, an employee of the mint had mistakenly used the old template for the inscription, so that the 50 pfennigs minted in 1950 were provided with the inscription “Bank Deutscher Länder” that was common in 1948 and 1949. Today, according to “Sammlernet”, the coin is worth between 400 and 800 euros, depending on its condition.
By the way: If you suspect that you own a valuable coin but are not sure, take a look at an official coin catalogue. Some of these can be found on the Internet or in libraries. Before you sell one of your coins at online auction houses, for example, you should have them checked for authenticity. You can contact the Chambers of Industry and Commerce or go to an experienced coin dealer.
