Germany 20 mark gold coin (Kaiser Wilhelm II)

Germany 20 mark gold coin (Kaiser Wilhelm II)

Minted 1890 - 1913
Fineness: .900
Actual Gold Content: .2304 troy ounce

Wilhelm II ascended the throne of Germany in June of 1888. As an interesting historical note, Wilhelm frequently made serious personal blunders that strained Germany's diplomatic relations with other countries. The most well known instance of this may be the "Daily Telegraph Affair" of 1908. When Wilhelm was offered an interview with the newspaper, he saw it as an opportunity to promote his views and ideas on Anglo-German friendship. Instead, due to his emotional volatility and subsequent outbursts during the course of the interview, Wilhelm ended up further alienating not only the British people, but also the French, Russians, and Japanese all in one fell swoop. He effectively implied that the Germans cared nothing for the British; that the French and Russians had attempted to instigate Germany to intervene in the Second Boer War (a war between the British and republics within South Africa, resulting in their addition to the British Empire); and that the German naval buildup during that time period was targeted against the Japanese, not Britain. Wilhelm's power steadily declined through the course of World War I, ultimately leading to his abdication in 1918.