20 Mark German Emperor and King of Prussia Wilhelm II in Uniform Gold Coin

20 Mark, Wilhelm II in uniform

7.965 g gross, 900 fine, 7.1685 g of pure gold, 22.5 mm across.

This is a specific and narrow type. Prussian 20 Mark pieces of Wilhelm II from 1888 to 1913 all show a plain bareheaded portrait. Only the last issue, catalogued as Jaeger 253 and struck at Berlin, mintmark A, in 1913, 1914 and 1915, shows the emperor bareheaded but in military uniform. It is the final German imperial gold coin.

Specifications

How to tell it apart

The difference is the shoulder. On the earlier Prussian type the bust is cut off bare; on this one the emperor wears a uniform tunic with an epaulette. Dealers sometimes describe a change in 1890 as the arrival of the uniform — that change was to the reverse eagle, not to the portrait.

The reverse is the large crowned imperial eagle with DEUTSCHES REICH, the date and the value.

Struck as the empire ended

Production ran into 1915, by which time German gold had already left circulation. The 1914 and 1915 strikings together run to a few million pieces, which is why the type is available at all; we have not found a published figure for 1913. No source we can check names the designer of the uniformed bust, so we do not give one.

The German gold mark standard

Every imperial 20 Mark piece, whichever state issued it, was struck to the same standard: 7.965 g gross at 900 fine, holding 7.1685 g of pure gold, 22.5 mm across. The rule behind it was that a kilogram of fine gold made 2,790 marks. The edge reads GOTT MIT UNS.

That uniformity is why these coins trade against each other on gold content, with the issuing state and the rarity of the date deciding any premium above it.

Exactly 900, and why that matters

HMRC’s test for investment gold is a fineness of not less than 900 thousandths. This coin is exactly 900. It clears the threshold, but with nothing to spare — a coin a shade below that line would attract VAT as a collectable rather than being treated as investment gold.

VAT and UK capital gains tax

HMRC treats a coin minted after 1800 as investment gold if it is at least 900 thousandths fine, is or has been legal tender in its country of origin, and normally sells at no more than 180 per cent of the open market value of its gold (VAT Notice 701/21A). The coin is 900 fine, was German legal tender and is sold close to the gold price, so it meets all three tests.

Capital gains tax is a separate matter. The UK exemption follows sterling legal tender, so it covers Sovereigns and Britannias but not a German coin. This is a statement of the published rule, not tax advice — your own position depends on your circumstances.

Questions buyers ask

How do I tell the uniformed type from the plain one? By the shoulder. The uniformed bust wears a tunic with an epaulette; the earlier type is cut off bare.

Which years was it struck? 1913, 1914 and 1915, at Berlin only.

How much gold does it contain? 7.1685 g of pure gold at 900 fineness.

Is it the same gold as any other 20 Mark? Yes. Every imperial 20 Mark holds 7.1685 g of pure gold, whichever state issued it.

Authenticity checked at GoldInvest24 before dispatch. Other sizes are on the historic gold coins page. Live quotes on the precious metals prices page.