200 Deutsche Mark Gold Minted Bar (Mintage: 5,000 | Proof)
- Pure fine gold: 999.9/1000 fineness
- Genuine coin: legal tender of Liberia
- Paul Ehrlich: finely engraved portrait
- Pure fine goldThe value is based on the fine gold and follows the gold price
- Genuine coinFace value of 25 dollars stamped by the Republic of Liberia
- Paul EhrlichWith the formula of Salvarsan and the silhouette of Frankfurt
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The last DM series, 200 marks
Paul Ehrlich,physician and serologist.
A 1/200 ounce gold bar by Kettner Edelmetalle, just 15 × 8.5 millimetres in size, showing the design of the 200 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 200 DM note: Paul Ehrlich
The face of the note
A note that had never existed before
Paul Ehrlich lived from 1854 to 1915, a physician and serologist. In the background stand historic buildings of the city of Frankfurt. In 1908 he shared the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine with Ilya Mechnikov.
The back shows a microscope, the instrument he often used in his work. There had been no 200 DM note before; the Bundesbank introduced it for the first time in 1990.
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.
Paul Ehrlich
The numeral 200
The microscope
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 200 DM note measured 162 × 77 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
- 200 DM note, Paul Ehrlich
- 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.
Paul Ehrlich on 1/200 ounce of gold.
200 Deutsche Mark Gold Minted Bar – German Monetary History in Pure Fine Gold
- Minting quality: Highest possible finish in Proof (PP) with deeply mirrored surfaces and finely matted motifs
- Pure fine gold: 0.16 g gold of 999.9/1000 fineness – the substance on which the value is based
- Investment goal: With a gold bar you effectively protect your wealth against the gradual devaluation of money
- Value preservation: A reliable store of value that preserves the real purchasing power of your savings over the years
- Protection: Especially in times of inflation, recession and high government debt, you safeguard your wealth with gold
- Format: Minted bar with an embossed face value of 25 dollars – official legal tender of the Republic of Liberia
- Design: A detailed tribute to the 200-DM banknote featuring the portrait of Nobel laureate Paul Ehrlich
- Limitation: Mintage limited to 5,000 pieces
- Manufacturer & origin: Issued by Kettner Edelmetalle in Germany
The 200 Deutsche Mark gold bar combines a piece of lived German monetary history with the lasting value of physical gold. In the smallest of spaces, it carries the familiar image of the 200-DM note – yet in the end, one thing above all counts: the fine gold it contains. This is precisely where the real reason to buy lies, as the value of this bar develops in line with the gold price.
A Piece of D-Mark Nostalgia as a Physical Gold Investment
Anyone who once held the D-Mark in their own hands associates it with a feeling of solidity and stability of value. The minted bar takes up this memory and transfers it into a timeless precious metal. The design provides the personal touch; the substance, however, is minted fine gold. In this way, you acquire small amounts of gold that can add up to a considerable fortune over the years – an entry into physical gold investment in a manageable size, tradable at any time and resalable worldwide.
The Design: Paul Ehrlich and the Fourth DM Series
The fourth and final series of DM banknotes became known as the "Persönlichkeitsserie" (series of personalities), because it depicted figures from German history. The 200-DM note was new within this series and honored Paul Ehrlich (1854–1915), physician, Nobel laureate and founder of modern chemotherapy. Finely engraved on the bar are the chemical structural formula of his syphilis remedy Salvarsan, the silhouette of historic Frankfurt am Main, as well as the inscriptions "Deutsche Bundesbank" and "Zweihundert Deutsche Mark". The reverse takes up the microscope from the original banknote and adds the fineness and face value. Even fine security features of the original were recreated in gold.
Proof – the Supreme Class of Minting
In Proof (PP) quality, those characteristic deeply mirrored backgrounds are created, against which the matted design elements stand out in relief. This finish requires carefully polished minting dies and gentle handling – which is why Proof is considered the most demanding minting technique. The bar is delivered as new merchandise, protected in a coin capsule.
Minted Bar: A Bar with the Status of a Coin
A minted bar carries a coin die stamp and an embossed face value. This is precisely what distinguishes it from a classic bar: through the embossed 25 dollars, this angular piece acquires the status of a coin and is official legal tender of the Republic of Liberia. Visually a bar, legally a coin – this combination is what makes the format so appealing.
Why Physical Gold? Value Preservation Across Generations
Gold is the oldest currency in the world and has been a proven store of value for over 6,000 years. It possesses an intrinsic value, has never been worth zero, and protects against loss of purchasing power. As an inflation hedge and crisis protection, it preserves its value while paper money can lose purchasing power. It is not without reason that central banks around the world hold gold reserves.
- High liquidity: tradable worldwide at any time and convertible into cash
- A scarce commodity with limited supply – a foundation of long-term value stability
- Durable and resilient: gold retains its shine and properties across generations
- Profits from the sale of gold are generally tax-free after a minimum holding period of one year
Gold has been shining for thousands of years – and will never lose its shine. It is the big brother of small silver and preserves its value across generations.
Would you like to pass on something lasting for a birthday, wedding or christening? Then give the gift of genuine investment gold: not a mere souvenir, but full-value fine gold whose worth is based on the gold price. The 200 Deutsche Mark gold minted bar from Kettner Edelmetalle combines this idea in the most beautiful way – German monetary history, cast into a lasting tangible asset.
Product depiction may differ from the final product.
