500 Old Deutsche Mark Banknote Gold Minted Bar (Mintage: 1,000 | Old Design | Proof)
- Pure fine gold: Investment gold 999.9
- Genuine gold coin: Face value 25 dollars
- Give gold as a gift: real investment
- Pure fine goldIts value is based on fine gold and follows the gold price
- Genuine gold coinLegal tender of the Republic of Liberia
- Give gold as a giftGift genuine investment gold for birthdays or christenings
Price alert set
share
First Bundesbank series, 500 marks
Portrait of a beardless man,1521.
A 1/200 ounce gold bar by Kettner Edelmetalle, just 15 × 8.5 millimetres in size, showing the design of the 500 DM note from the Bundesbank’s first series.
Image greatly enlarged. The bar measures 15 × 8.5 millimetres.
Image of the front of the bar with the design of the 500 DM note: Portrait of a beardless man
The face of the note
A man of 33 years
The portrait comes from the “Portrait of a Beardless Man”, painted by Hans Maler von Schwaz in 1521. The painting is in the Kunsthistorisches Museum in Vienna. According to the inscription, the man is 33 years old.
The back shows Burg Eltz. With the 500 DM note, the last value of the series came out on 26 April 1965.
For its first series, the Bundesbank deliberately chose heads from old, recognised paintings. The names of painter and sitter do not appear on the notes, because some were unknown or uncertain.
The beardless man
The numeral 500
Burg Eltz
The series
Seven notes after old paintings
On 10 February 1961 the Bundesbank issued the first note of its first series, the 20 DM note. By 26 April 1965 the others had followed, last of all the 500 DM note. There were seven values from 5 to 1000 marks; a 200 DM note only came with the last series.
It was designed by Hermann Eidenbenz, chosen after a competition with 140 preliminary designs. The notes were printed by the Bundesdruckerei in Berlin and by Giesecke & Devrient in Munich. Each value was 5 millimetres higher and 10 millimetres longer than the next smaller one.
They remained valid until they were called in on 30 June 1995. Some things lived on in the last series: the colours of the values, the large portraits looking towards the centre and the word “Banknote” in Fraktur, which most notes of the first series already bore.
5 DM note1963
10 DM note1963
20 DM note1961
50 DM note1962
100 DM note1962
500 DM note1965
1000 DM note1964
The small format
The design of a note on 15 millimetres of gold
The 500 DM note measured 170 × 85 millimetres. The bar carries its design on a surface narrower than a 1-cent coin.
The paper note was work on the smallest scale. Egon Falz, Hans-Joachim Fuchs and José Lopez engraved the portrait and motif of each note by hand in steel, over months. In intaglio printing, the design stood raised on the paper like a relief.
The bar’s finish is proof. The image shows it in a capsule on a black card with DEUTSCHE MARK, 1/200 OZ and 9999 FINE GOLD.
At a glance
- Motif
- 500 DM note, Portrait of a beardless man
- The Bundesbank’s first 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
- 1,000 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.
Faces from old paintings, from 1961 to 1995.
The beardless man on 1/200 ounce of gold.
500 Deutsche Mark as a Gold Minted Bar – historic banknote design in pure fine gold
- Strictly limited: capped worldwide at a very low mintage of only 1,000 pieces.
- Growth potential: high appreciation potential thanks to strict limitation and consistently high demand.
- Rarity: a sought-after collector's coin made of 999.9 fine gold.
- Design: the legendary old 500 DM banknote featuring the historic male portrait on one side and the world-famous Eltz Castle on the other.
- Manufacturer: exclusively minted for Kettner Edelmetalle.
- Country of origin: issued by the Republic of Liberia.
- Minting quality: the highest possible minting quality, Proof (PP).
- Investment goal: with these gold bars, you effectively protect your wealth against inflation.
- Wealth preservation: a reliable store of value that secures and preserves the real substance of your wealth.
- Protection: especially in times of inflation, recession and high government debt, you can safeguard your wealth with gold.
A piece of German monetary history in 999.9 fine gold
Few banknotes have burned themselves so deeply into collective memory as the old 500 DM note. This minted bar brings this historic design into the purest fine gold: one side bears the striking male portrait of the classic D-Mark note, the other shows Eltz Castle on the Moselle – that fairytale castle from Rhineland-Palatinate which adorned the 500 Mark note for decades. In this way, this special piece combines nostalgia with pure precious metal.
What matters here is not just the design, which provides the personal touch. The real substance and true reason to buy is the fine gold content with a fineness of 999.9/1,000. The value of this product is based primarily on the physical gold and moves with the gold price – so you are acquiring full-fledged investment gold, at the core of which is the pure precious metal.
Why a minted bar – bar and gold coin in one
A minted bar is a bar that bears a coin die stamp. At first glance it looks like a classic, rectangular bar; however, the imprinted face value of 25 Dollars gives it the status of a coin. As an official issue of the Republic of Liberia, this minted bar is legal tender there, thus combining the clear form of a bar with the character of a genuine gold coin. The piece is delivered well protected in a coin capsule, which permanently preserves the delicate mirror-finish surface of the Proof quality.
Strict limitation: only 1,000 pieces worldwide
The special appeal lies in its rarity. With a mintage of only 1,000 pieces, this minted bar is a true rarity. Such strictly limited issues have historically sold out quickly, and it is precisely the interplay of limited supply, the popular D-Mark theme and the coveted Proof condition that underlies the appreciation potential of this issue. Of course, this does not come with any specific promise of returns – however, rarity is a factor that can sustain long-term interest in an issue.
Pure gold as the foundation of your investment
Gold is the oldest currency in the world and has been a proven store of value for over 6,000 years. It possesses an inherent, intrinsic value, has never been worth zero, and is recognized worldwide as a means of payment and exchange. As an inflation hedge, physical gold protects against loss of purchasing power, and as crisis protection, it has proven its worth in politically and economically turbulent times. It is not without reason that central banks hold enormous gold reserves. As the big brother of smaller silver, gold is particularly liquid and can always be traded and converted into cash worldwide.
This minted bar is therefore excellent for building wealth in small, manageable steps – piece by piece, physical gold adds up over the years to a substantial holding. It also makes a fine impression as a way to pass on genuine investment gold on a personal occasion such as a birthday or christening: what is given here is not a mere souvenir, but a tangible asset. A tax note for investors: profits from the sale of private gold are generally tax-free after a holding period of at least one year.
Gold has shone for thousands of years – and it will not lose its shine in the future either. Whoever holds physical fine gold holds a real value in their hands.
The key facts at a glance
- Precious metal: gold, fineness 999.9/1,000
- Fine weight: 0.16 g (1/200 oz)
- Face value: 25 Dollars, Republic of Liberia
- Format: rectangular minted bar, approx. 15.00 mm x 8.50 mm
- Condition: Proof (PP), brand new
- Mintage: strictly limited to only 1,000 pieces
- Manufacturer: Kettner Edelmetalle
- Packaging: coin capsule
Secure this strictly limited fine gold piece while the small mintage lasts – a historic D-Mark design, permanently preserved in pure gold.
Product depiction may differ from the final product.
