German 2 Reichsmark (Hindenburg)

The German 2 Reichsmark of this Hindenburg type is a silver circulation coin of the Third Reich, produced in the later 1930s. The example shown carries the German national eagle (Reichsadler) clutching a wreathed swastika shield with the inscription DEUTSCHES REICH and the date 1938, paired with a portrait design and the 2 REICHSMARK value.

Struck in .625 silver, it is a mid-size white-metal coin that circulated alongside the 5 Reichsmark and smaller denominations. Its design belongs to the standardized coinage introduced after 1933, when the Weimar-era eagle was replaced by the eagle-and-swastika emblem used across state coinage of the period.

Because it was made in large numbers over several years, the type is common today and is collected mainly as a historical silver piece rather than for rarity. It is frequently encountered in world-coin accumulations and in collections focused on German or 20th-century history.

Following the political changes of 1933, Germany revised its coinage to carry the new national emblem, and a silver 2 Reichsmark bearing the eagle-over-swastika device was introduced in the mid-1930s. The reverse honours Paul von Hindenburg, the Field Marshal and President of Germany who died in 1934, whose portrait appears on both the 2 and 5 Reichsmark silver coins of the era.

The Hindenburg silver type was struck across several dates in the second half of the 1930s at the various German state mints, each identified by a small mint-mark letter. Coins dated 1938, like the one shown, fall within this main production run, before wartime demands curtailed silver coinage.

As precious-metal coinage was withdrawn during the Second World War in favour of base-metal and zinc issues, the silver 2 Reichsmark ceased to circulate. Surviving examples are now studied as artifacts of the Third Reich period and remain widely available to collectors.

Obverse (shown): the German eagle (Reichsadler) with spread wings, its talons resting on a wreath enclosing a swastika, encircled by the legend DEUTSCHES REICH and the date (here 1938). A small mint-mark letter appears near the base, identifying the striking mint.

Reverse: the bare-headed portrait of Paul von Hindenburg facing to the side, with the denomination 2 REICHSMARK and, on many examples, his name and dates in the surrounding inscription.

Size and metal: a silver coin of .625 fineness, roughly 25 mm across and about 8 grams, with a reeded edge that on this type carries a raised motto. Its pale silver colour, the eagle-and-swastika emblem, and the clear 2 REICHSMARK value together identify the type; the neighbouring 5 Reichsmark shares the design but is noticeably larger and heavier.

The Hindenburg 2 Reichsmark is a common silver coin, and most circulated examples trade at a modest premium tied largely to their silver content rather than to numismatic rarity. Well-worn pieces are inexpensive and plentiful.

Value rises with condition: clean, lightly circulated and especially uncirculated coins with sharp detail command higher prices, and certain date-and-mintmark combinations are scarcer than others. Proof strikings, where they exist, are worth considerably more than ordinary business strikes.

Because prices move with the silver market and with collector demand, treat any single figure as approximate. Compare recent sales of the same date, mint mark and grade, and be aware that historical interest in Third Reich material can affect demand in either direction.