10 Pfennig - Wilhelm I Pattern

Pattern coinage from the early German Empire reflects the intense deliberation over a unified monetary system following the 1871 proclamation at Versailles. This copper-nickel piece was struck during the transitional window when the newly formed Reich was testing compositions before settling on the iron and copper alloys ultimately adopted for circulating Pfennig denominations. Copper-nickel was seriously considered but rejected — partly on cost grounds, partly because German industrial capacity for working the alloy at mint scale was not yet reliable.