This silver coin, a 5 Reichsmark piece dated 1935, stands among the most recognizable numismatic products of the Third Reich. Catalogued as Jaeger No. 357 (also known as KM 83), it depicts the Potsdam Garrison Church (Garnisonkirche) in detailed architectural relief on its reverse – notably without the date inscription “21. März 1933” that characterizes the earlier variant (Jaeger 356). The object description records a weight of 13.89 grams in 900 silver at condition grade 2.

Physical Characteristics

The coin is circular in form with a diameter of 29 mm and a standard weight of 13.88 g. It is struck in an alloy of 90% silver and 10% copper. The obverse features the Reichsadler (German eagle) with outstretched wings at center, flanked by the split date (19-35), with the inscription “DEUTSCHES REICH” (German Empire) at top and the denomination “5 REICHSMARK” at bottom. Two swastikas flank the date. The reverse displays the Potsdam Garrison Church in fine architectural detail, with a mint mark letter (A, D, E, F, G, or J) positioned below the church. The edge is smooth and bears the inscription “GEMEINNUTZ GEHT VOR EIGENNUTZ” (“Common good takes priority over self-interest”). The coin uses medal orientation (coin alignment).

Variants and Minting

Two main variants of the 5 Reichsmark Garnisonskirche coin exist. The first variant (Jaeger 356, KM 82) bears the inscription “21. März 1933” on the church depicted on the reverse and was minted only in 1934. The second variant (Jaeger 357, KM 83) – the type represented by this specimen – shows the church without a date inscription and was struck in both 1934 and 1935. Both variants were produced at six different German state mints: A (Berlin), D (Munich), E (Muldenhütten), F (Stuttgart), G (Karlsruhe), and J (Hamburg), yielding six different mint marks for each variant. Alongside the Garrison Church series, the Third Reich issued other 5 Reichsmark commemorative types between 1933 and 1939, including coins honoring Martin Luther (1933), Friedrich Schiller (1934), and Paul von Hindenburg (1935–1939).

Historical Context

The coin commemorates the “Day of Potsdam” (Tag von Potsdam) of March 21, 1933, when the newly elected Reichstag was ceremonially opened in the Potsdam Garrison Church following the Reichstag fire. At this carefully staged state ceremony, Chancellor Adolf Hitler and President Paul von Hindenburg publicly shook hands, a gesture deliberately crafted to symbolize the alliance between the traditional Prussian-military elites and the nascent Nazi regime. The choice of March 21 as the date was itself politically calculated, as it coincided with the anniversary of the first Reichstag of the German Empire in 1871.

The consequences of this symbolic union were swift and devastating for German democracy. Just two days later, on March 23, 1933, the Enabling Act (Ermächtigungsgesetz) was passed, effectively dismantling parliamentary democracy and paving the way for the establishment of the Nazi dictatorship. The coin was originally planned to commemorate the 200th anniversary of the Potsdam Garrison Church, which had been built between 1731 and 1735 under King Friedrich Wilhelm I of Prussia. However, the Nazi regime repurposed this anniversary as a first-anniversary celebration of its own rule.

The fate of the Garrison Church itself mirrors the broader arc of 20th-century German history. On April 14, 1945, the church was heavily damaged in a British air raid. The surviving ruins were subsequently demolished in 1968 by the GDR (East German) regime, erasing one of Prussia’s most symbolically charged architectural landmarks from the physical landscape.

Post-War History and Collector Significance

Production of silver Reichsmark coins ceased after 1939 as wartime metal shortages forced a transition to base-metal coinage. Following Germany’s defeat in 1945, items bearing Nazi symbols were frequently confiscated and destroyed by Allied occupation authorities, though many coins survived in private collections. Today, the 5 Reichsmark silver coins are widely collected as historical numismatic items, valued both for their silver content and their profound historical significance. The modern sale and collection of these coins is legal for historical and educational purposes in most jurisdictions, although the display of Nazi symbols for propaganda purposes remains prohibited in Germany and Austria.

As part of the silver coinage series (2 and 5 Reichsmark) issued between 1933 and 1939 in the Third Reich, this coin represents a tangible artifact of one of Europe’s darkest chapters – a small disc of silver that encapsulates the political instrumentalization of Prussian tradition and architectural heritage by the Nazi state.