5 Deutsche Mark Gold Minted Bar (Mintage: 5,000 | Proof)
- Investment Gold: Fine gold 999.9
- Real Coin: Legal tender of Liberia
- Give Gold: as a real investment
- Investment GoldThe value is based on pure gold and tracks the gold price
- Real CoinWith a 25 dollar face value, the bar is an official coin
- Give GoldGive real investment gold for a christening or wedding
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The last DM series, 5 marks
Bettina von Arnim,writer.
A 1/200 ounce gold bar by Kettner Edelmetalle, just 15 × 8.5 millimetres in size, showing the design of the 5 DM note from the last series of Deutsche Mark notes.
Image greatly enlarged. The bar measures 15 × 8.5 millimetres.
Image of the front of the bar with the design of the 5 DM note: Bettina von Arnim
The face of the note
The 5 DM note that almost never was
Bettina von Arnim lived from 1785 to 1859, and the Bundesbank calls her a writer. Her portrait follows the painting at Gut Wiepersdorf, with a partial view of the estate and historic buildings of Berlin in the background.
The new series almost had no 5 DM note at all: only in June 1987 did the Central Bank Council decide to keep it. For the back, the first idea was a Goethe monument that Bettina von Arnim had designed herself, then the wreath of flowers that had served as the title vignette of her epistolary novel “Clemens Brentanos Frühlingskranz”. The choice fell on the Brandenburger Tor, which in the Bundesbank’s words “was built and inaugurated in Bettina’s lifetime”.
The Bundesbank also chose portraits as the main motif because human perception “responds particularly well to faces”. The back was new: it shows what the people on the front worked on.
Bettina von Arnim
The numeral 5
The Brandenburger Tor
The series
Eight notes, nine faces
On 1 October 1990 the Bundesbank issued the first two notes of the new series, the 100 and the 200 DM notes. By 27 October 1992 the other six had followed, last of all the 5, the 500 and the 1000 DM notes.
The series was designed by Reinhold Gerstetter, a graphic artist at the Bundesdruckerei. Historians drew up proposals from an initial 70 to 80 names; the condition was an authentic portrait to work from. Five models were mirrored so that all portraits look towards the centre of the note.
Some things stayed from the Bundesbank’s first series: the colours of the values, the large portraits looking towards the centre and the word “Banknote” in Fraktur.
5 DM note1992
10 DM note1991
20 DM note1992
50 DM note1991
100 DM note1990
200 DM note1990
500 DM note1992
1000 DM note1992
The small format
The design of a note on 15 millimetres of gold
The 5 DM note measured 122 × 62 millimetres. The bar carries its design on a surface narrower than a 1-cent coin.
The paper note was work on the smallest scale. For a steel-engraved portrait, a good engraver needs “a good two to three months”, said the designer Reinhold Gerstetter. Experts from botanists to architects checked every detail, down to the exact number of windows in a building.
Some things on the paper notes could only be seen with a magnifying glass: on the right of the back lies a very fine background, with clefs and notes on the 100 DM note and with frogs and crowns on the 1000 DM note. The bar’s finish is proof.
At a glance
- Motif
- 5 DM note, Bettina von Arnim
- Last DM series
- Maker
- Kettner Edelmetalle
- Face value
- 25 Dollars
- Liberia
- Weight
- 1/200 ounce
- Fine weight
- 0.16 g
- Fineness
- 999.9/1,000
- Dimensions
- 15.00 × 8.50 mm
- Finish
- Proof
- Mintage
- 5,000 pieces
- Packaging
- Coin capsule
All details except the design as stated in our product specifications. The bars are products of Kettner Edelmetalle, not an issue of the Deutsche Bundesbank.
The last series of the Mark, designed by Reinhold Gerstetter.
Bettina von Arnim on 1/200 ounce of gold.
5 Deutsche Mark Minted Bar – a piece of German currency history in 999.9 fine gold
- Minting quality: crafted in the highest possible quality grade Proof (PP) – mirror-polished surfaces meet razor-sharp relief
- Investment goal: With gold bars you protect your wealth exceptionally effectively from the creeping loss of purchasing power caused by inflation
- Value preservation: The bar serves as a first-class store of value, safeguarding the real value of your savings over decades
- Protection: Especially during periods of inflation, recession, and high government debt, you reliably protect your wealth with gold
- Pure fine gold: 999.9/1000 – the fine gold content is the substance and the actual reason for buying; its value follows the gold price directly
- Official coin status: The embossed face value of 25 Dollars makes the bar legal tender of the Republic of Liberia
- Strictly limited: worldwide mintage of 5,000 pieces
- Design: true-to-detail replica of the legendary 5-DM banknote featuring the portrait of Bettina von Arnim
- Manufacturer: exclusive minting by Kettner Edelmetalle
- Country of origin: Republic of Liberia
Hardly any banknote has burned itself so deeply into the collective memory as the old five-mark note. With the 5 Deutsche Mark Minted Bar, you now hold this design in pure fine gold – compact, rectangular, and measuring just 15.00 mm × 8.50 mm. At first glance, the piece looks like a classic bar. But the embossed face value transforms it into a genuine coin. This dual nature is exactly what the term "minted bar" describes: bar and legal tender in one, struck from 0.16 g of pure gold with a fineness of 999.9.
The design: the 5-DM banknote featuring Bettina von Arnim
The obverse reproduces the familiar note down to the finest detail. On the right, Bettina von Arnim (1785–1859) gazes back at you, one of the defining writers of German Romanticism, framed by long, curly hair. Alongside her are the inscription "DEUTSCHE BUNDESBANK", the word "Banknote" in old German script, the large denomination figure 5, a historic cityscape with church towers and domes, the serial number A0000077A2, and the suggested braille dots – all finely engraved in gold. The reverse shows the Brandenburg Gate, flanked by the coat of arms of the Deutsche Bundesbank, the emblem of the Republic of Liberia, and the details 1/200 OZ, 25 DOLLARS, and 9999 FINE GOLD.
Bettina von Arnim was a writer, publisher, and a key figure of German Romanticism. Between 1992 and 2002, her portrait adorned the five-mark note of the Deutsche Bundesbank's final series. This bar thus builds a golden bridge from cultural history, through the beloved D-Mark, into the present day.
Full-fledged investment gold in a small denomination
As charming as the design may be – the personal touch is one thing, the substance another. The value of this bar is based primarily on its fine gold content and moves in line with the gold price. Inflation hedging, value preservation, and the ability to trade and resell at any time all speak in favor of physical gold. Gold is the world's oldest currency, has never had a value of zero, and is recognized worldwide as a means of payment and exchange. Anyone who regularly acquires small amounts of gold builds up a considerable fortune step by step over the years – and can also give genuine investment gold as a gift for personal occasions such as a christening, birthday, or wedding.
Especially as crisis protection, physical gold has proven itself over millennia: it cannot be multiplied at will, is naturally scarce, highly liquid, and preserves its luster across generations. It is no coincidence that central banks are among the largest holders of gold in the world. So despite the nostalgic D-Mark design, you are not acquiring a mere memorabilia item here, but recognized investment gold – minted fine gold whose value is based on the world market.
Highest minting quality: Proof
The bar is manufactured in the Proof quality grade – the most elaborate minting technique of all. Mirror-polished surfaces contrast with finely crafted design elements, making the relief emerge almost three-dimensionally from the warm gold tone. Each piece is delivered protected in a coin capsule. The worldwide mintage is limited to 5,000 pieces – once sold out, there will be no re-minting.
The key facts at a glance
- Material: Gold, fineness 999.9/1000
- Fine weight: 0.16 g (1/200 oz)
- Dimensions: 15.00 mm × 8.50 mm
- Face value: 25 Dollars (Republic of Liberia)
- Grade: Proof (PP)
- Mintage: 5,000 pieces worldwide
- Packaging: coin capsule
- Condition: brand new
Gold is humanity's oldest currency – it has outlasted every paper currency and preserved its luster for millennia.
Product depiction may differ from the final product.
