German New Guinea Company 1894 CU 10 Pfennig (Bird of Paradise, Numista 21762)

GERMAN NEW GUINEA COMPANY, 1884-1899
CU 10 Pfennig (30.0mm, 10.08g, 12h)
Dated 1894. Berlin, Germany mint
Obverse: Bird of Paradise perched on branch
Reverse: 10 NEU GUINEA PFENNIG 1894 in four lines between palm branches; NEU-GUINEA COMPAGNIE above, mintmark at bottom
References: Numista 21762
Mintage: 100,000; all but 23,930 melted
Rich brown surfaces with traces of iridescence.

In 1884 the unified nation of Germany was still young, having only recently been established through the brilliant political machinations of Otto von Bismark, nicknamed the "Iron Chancellor". Yet Germany's economic power was on the rise, and it was eager to join the rest of the major European powers in establishing overseas colonies. To that end, the German New Guinea Company was founded in 1884 with the goal of colonizing the island and developing its natural resources, mainly through plantation farming. The project was not particularly successful, however, and in 1899 the German Imperial Government took administrative control of the island, which it held until the outbreak of World War I, when in 1914 German New Guinea was captured by Australian forces.
These "Bird of Paradise" coin types struck for the German New Guinea Company are widely considered to be among the most beautiful modern coins ever minted. They are also quite scarce, not only because they are all one-year issues with low original mintages, but also because after the company was dissolved the majority of the coins were melted down and recycled. According to Numista, of the 100,000 pieces originally minted, all but a mere 23,930 were melted.

Collection : World coins - medieval to present