Weimarer Republik Deutsches Reich 5 Mark 1932 E Eichbaum Kursmünze Oak Tree regular Strike Kursmünze SUP winz. Rdf. gereinigt

## 5 Reichsmark 1927–1933 “Oak Tree” – Weimar Republic

**Country:** German Reich – Weimar Republic
**Denomination:** 5 Reichsmark
**Period of issue:** 1927–1933
**Catalogue references:** Jaeger 331 · KM 56
**Metal:** .500 silver
**Weight:** 25.00 g
**Fine silver content:** 12.50 g
**Diameter:** 36 mm
**Edge:** Reeded
**Designer:** Maximilian Dasio
**Mints:** A Berlin, D Munich, E Muldenhütten, F Stuttgart, G Karlsruhe and J Hamburg

The illustrated specimen bears the mintmark **E**, indicating that it was struck at the Muldenhütten State Mint in Saxony.

### Numismatic and Historical Description

The silver 5 Reichsmark coin featuring the imposing oak tree is one of the most distinctive and historically significant circulation coins of the Weimar Republic. Introduced only a few years after the devastating hyperinflation of 1923, it represented Germany’s return to a stable and internationally accepted currency.

The obverse displays the republican German eagle with outstretched wings, surrounded by the inscription **DEUTSCHES REICH – FÜNF REICHSMARK**. Unlike the crowned imperial eagle of the German Empire, the Weimar eagle carries neither a crown nor any monarchical insignia. It therefore symbolises the new republican state established after the end of the monarchy in 1918.

The reverse is dominated by a powerful and deeply rooted German oak tree. It is surrounded by the words **EINIGKEIT UND RECHT UND FREIHEIT** – “Unity and Justice and Freedom.” Even at that time, these words expressed the hope for national unity, constitutional government and political liberty. The date and mintmark appear beneath the tree.

### The Symbolism of the Oak Tree

For centuries, the oak has been one of Germany’s most important national symbols. It traditionally represents **strength, steadfastness, endurance and renewal**. On this coin, however, the oak is not shown as a perfectly idealised tree. Among its powerful trunk and densely covered branches, several bare or apparently dead branches can be recognised.

In numismatic tradition, these dead branches are frequently interpreted as a reference to the German territories lost after the First World War. Under the Treaty of Versailles, Germany was required to surrender Alsace-Lorraine, Eupen-Malmedy, Northern Schleswig, parts of West Prussia and Posen, as well as other territories. The Saar region was temporarily placed under the administration of the League of Nations.

The firmly rooted and still-living oak may therefore be understood as an image of a Germany wounded by war, revolution and territorial losses, but not destroyed: some branches have died, while the trunk, roots and crown continue to live.

From a scholarly numismatic perspective, however, this interpretation should be presented with some caution. The connection between the bare branches and the lost territories is a widespread and convincing traditional interpretation. Nevertheless, there is no conclusive contemporary official documentation proving that each dead branch was intended to represent a particular lost territory.

### Purchasing Power and Economic Importance

With a weight of 25 grams, the 5 Reichsmark was a large and substantial silver coin. It contained 12.50 grams of pure silver, although it was not a full-bodied silver standard coin whose face value depended entirely upon its metal content. Its value was primarily guaranteed by the state monetary system.

At the time, five Reichsmark represented a considerable amount of money. According to historical purchasing-power comparisons published by the Deutsche Bundesbank, five Reichsmark from the years between 1927 and 1933 would have had an approximate modern purchasing power of around **€20 to €28**.

Such comparisons can only provide a rough indication, as wages, rents, food prices and other living costs have developed very differently over time.

The coin’s present-day collector value is determined not by its historical purchasing power, but primarily by:

* the date and mint,
* the original mintage,
* the state of preservation,
* the presence of original mint lustre,
* the quality of the eagle and oak-tree details,
* and any scratches, edge damage or evidence of cleaning.

Common dates in average circulated condition remain relatively obtainable. Scarcer mint-and-date combinations, superior examples in Extremely Fine or Mint State condition and certified high-grade specimens can command considerably higher prices. The coin’s basic intrinsic value is represented by its content of **12.50 grams of pure silver**.

### The End of the Oak-Tree Coin under National Socialism

Following the National Socialist seizure of power in 1933, the coin lost its political foundation. The oak-tree design was closely associated with the Weimar Republic, its republican eagle and the democratic motto **“Unity and Justice and Freedom.”** These symbols were incompatible with the political imagery and ideology of the new dictatorship.

Production of the type therefore ended in 1933. It was replaced by new 5 Reichsmark coins, initially featuring the Potsdam Garrison Church and later the portrait of President Paul von Hindenburg. The change was intended to make the political break with the Weimar Republic visible even in everyday monetary circulation.

Historically, however, it is important to clarify that the oak-tree coins were **not declared invalid immediately upon Hitler’s accession to power in January 1933**. Their production was discontinued, and the type was subsequently withdrawn during the National Socialist reorganisation of the German coinage system. The removal of these coins from circulation was therefore both a monetary reform and a deliberate replacement of the republican visual identity.

### Numismatic Significance

The “Oak Tree” is much more than an attractive historical silver coin. It represents the brief period of relative monetary stability between the hyperinflation of 1923, the Great Depression and the National Socialist dictatorship.

Its powerful yet visibly damaged tree makes it an exceptionally expressive historical document. The combination of German national symbolism, a republican motto, economic stabilisation and the tragic collapse of Weimar democracy gives this coin type outstanding historical and numismatic significance.

Today, the 5 Reichsmark “Oak Tree” is regarded as one of the best-known and most popular German silver coins of the twentieth century.

 

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