Germany German Adolf Hitler 5 RM Coin 1935

Apparently the brutal dictator Adolph Hitler wanted to wait for a 'final victory' before he authorized any official German coinage with his likeness. Fortunately, that day never came. There are no legal tender coins from the German Third Reich (third empire) with Hitler's image, although there were *tons* of medals, medallions, and similar coin-like objects produced. A good example, with history and links, appears on this CoinQuest page.

What you have, John, is a probably a replica of 5 reichsmark (RM) token issued by Germany. The replicas are modern and carry little value. Genuine pieces are more valuable. See below.

According to a CoinQuest reader, this piece is a German token given to Spanish soldiers under the command of General Jose Sanjurjo, also known as El Leon del Rif. Sanjurjo had sought German support prior to the beginning of the Civil War in Spain. The initial plan was to overtake the Spanish government in late 1935 and these coins were to be given to ranking officers at that time.

Further, according to the same reader, a lot of these pieces came out of excavations from Spanish Civil War battlefields, especially old neighborhoods in Madrid that were being renovated after being demolished during the Civil War.

As to value, the replica pieces sell today on eBay for $5 to $10 US dollars, depending on condition. A dealer would probably pay $2 or so for a nice-looking replica. But genuine pieces are certainly worth more. The problem is to discern real from fake. The side-by-side comparison below shows a marked difference in quality of strike and overall appearance between two examples of this interesting piece. Presumably the image on the left is genuine and on the right replica. Note the strong detail in the genuine piece that is not reproduced in the replica. (Precise weights of both pieces would settle the real/fake argument, but I do not have that data at this time.)

Genuine pieces are worth much more than replicas. I do not have good estimates of value, as none of my reference sources include this piece. My guess is that genuine, undamaged 1935 5 RM would catalog for several hundred US dollars.
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