GERMANY. Kaiserreich. Wilhelm II, 1888-1918. 10 Pfennig 1920 (Zinc, 21 mm, 3.11 g, 12 h), obverse indent and partial split after strike planchet error. Imperial eagle. Rev. •[DEUTSCHES REICH]• / [10] / PFENNIG / 1920 Incuse of obverse. Jaeger 299. Very rare with this interesting mint errors. Lacquered, otherwise, good extremely fine.



This mint error is particularly unusual because it combines two distinct striking errors: an indent error, caused by an unstruck planchet becoming trapped between this coin and the reverse die during striking, and a partial split after strike planchet error that occurred immediately afterward.

Ordinarily, the area impressed by the overlapping planchet in an indent error is completely blank (see Lot 3279 above). On this remarkable piece, however, part of the obverse die design is visible within the area exposed by the metal that subsequently split away. The unusual combination of errors was almost certainly facilitated by the use of zinc, a relatively brittle metal that became an important coinage material in Germany during World War I as part of the wartime effort to conserve more valuable metals. Zinc was used for the 10 Pfennig pieces and also for the zinc core of the iron-plated 5 Pfennig coins of the period.