10 Mark - Wilhelm II

The Neu-Guinea Compagnie was a chartered trading company granted administrative authority over German New Guinea in 1885, but by 1895 it was already financially failing — Berlin would revoke its governing charter and transfer control to the Imperial government just four years later. This coin was struck at the Berlin Mint specifically for use in the company's territory, making it one of the very few colonial issues produced for a private chartered company rather than a sovereign state. Total mintage was a mere 30,000 pieces, and the territory's sparse European population and rudimentary commerce meant few saw genuine circulation.