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Post by Deleted on Jan 20, 2017 21:14:36 GMT
Notgeld (German for "Emergency Money") Notgeld or “Emergency Money” essentially started with the outbreak of WWI. Germany had now gone off the gold standard and metals were hoarded and in short supply. Coins would cost more to produce than they were worth. This led to banknotes being issued in small denominations. This was not something new, as in the US, stamps were encased as currency during the coin shortage in the 1860s. Some 90 or more countries issued Notgelds as stamps or banknotes in paper, silk, foil, wood even compressed coal. None however had the range, style and quantities of those issued in Germany.   Allenstein 1914 Notgeld and Waldenburg 1914 2 mark (mining admin.) In 1914, 452 localities issued over 5,000 notes.. The Notgelds of 1914 tended to be quite plain. The printings were simple often with hand written signatures or rubber stamps of the issuing authority. Collectors paid little attention to them and most were used and few remain available. In 1915 to early 1916 the shortages subsided so Notgelds of that era are generally difficult to find. In the third year of WWI (1916) a new and severe shortage of small change resulted in a second wave of Notgeld being issued.  This caricature probably notes the shortage of food and food stamps required in 1916 From 1918 to 1921 Large notes, called Grossgeld were issued from over 550 places producing over 5,000 notes. These tended to be more intricate and colorful. It should be noted that displaying Notgelds has a challenge as the front and back are printed with different motifs.   ALFELD 1918 / ALTONA 1918   MEMEL 1922 20 Mark / BIELEFELD 1918 10 Mark   BAD SALZIG 1921 front & back   BAD OLDESLOE 1921 (front & back) displaying Salt, Mud, and Sulfur Baths   EISENBERG 1921 front & back Loosely translated as "The bratwurst has seen better times" with a 1913 reference Many Notgelds made light of the hard times, political situations and included anti-American & anti-Semitic feelings. More to follow.....
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cjd
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Post by cjd on Jan 21, 2017 2:57:46 GMT
My interest in these ebbs and flows. Right now, I've been in a long-term "minimum" with regard to these, but you're making me think I should dig them out and scan them in. What resources do you recommend?
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Post by Deleted on Jan 21, 2017 4:07:38 GMT
A Guide & Checklist World Notgelds - Coffing - very good, well illustrated Deutsch Notgeld - several volumes - Manfred Mehl - extensive listingwww.geiger-verlag.de/eng/notgeld.html - Anton Geiger website has pdf lists of Notgelds For displaying - probably the Supersafe Albums Several good online sites |
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Post by Deleted on Jan 21, 2017 14:03:47 GMT
Notgelds - Part 2 By 1921 serious collectors (estimated 15-20,000) were requesting the city governments to print more Notgelds. This period brought about the Series Notgelds (Serienscheine), the most colorful and popular of all. They were primarily intended for the collector market - the idea was to make the notes so attractive to collectors that they would never be spent or redeemed, in essence a cash cow for the governments. Hence many from this period are found uncirculated Many of these were issued in sets of up to 150, thereby keeping the collector interested. They also try to make light of the hard times as food and money were in short supply. Often short stories or rhymes are inscribed.   Oelde 1921 The Flatulent Copper-smith / Rudolstadt 1921 - the baby doesn't want milk but beerThis was a period of strong anti-US sentiment for the 1918 Treaty of Versailles that required Germany to repay for war damages an amount equal to over 500 Billion in today's currency. An issue that would lead to the next series of Inflation Notgelds.   Arnstadt 1921 - appears to be a description of the fate awaiting usurers (moneylenders who charged exorbitant interest)
 
Schmolln 1921 - Away with the Treaty of Versailles / Stroebeck 1921 - Political chess manipulated by the US
During this period there were also POW Notgelds. The money issued by the camps was only valid in that particular camp and paid by the officer in charge for performing tasks or chores. These are extremely rare and command high values. More examples of the Series Notgeld to follow... |
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Post by Deleted on Jan 22, 2017 16:56:14 GMT
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Post by Deleted on Jan 23, 2017 14:40:14 GMT
Inflation/Hyperinflation NotgeldsFor the settlement of payments huge amounts were needed . Up to 133 foreign companies with 1,783 printing machines were working in the fall of 1923 for the Reichsdruckerei day and night. The necessary banknote paper was produced by 30 paper mills. Approximately 30,000 people were engaged in the production of a total of approximately 10 billion government-issued inflation notes. Nevertheless, the available cash were not enough, the presses were the dizzying loss of value during hyperinflation simply no longer be compensated for by increased printing. More than 5,800 cities, towns and companies issued their own currency. Overall, more than 700 quintillion marks (700.000.000.000.000.000.000 M) were produced.  A weekly payroll on its way to a small company - being devalued with every step. The German currency designation is different from English English German 1 Miilion 1 Million 1 Billion 1 Milliarde 1 Trillion 1 Billion 1 Quadrillion 1 Billiarde
 
LIEBENWERDA 1922 500 Mark - an early inflation note / BONN 1923 500,000 Mark
 
BIELEFELD 1923 500,000 Mark / BIELEFELD 1923 50 Million Mark   ALTONA 1923 Railroad 200 Million Mark / BERLIN REICHSBAHN 1923 5 Trillion Mark   DUISBURG 1923 5 Trillion / BUER 1923 10 Trillion And finally the "BIG BOY"  Dusseldorf - 100 Trillion Marks. BTW by November 1923 it took 4 of these 1 billionen to equal 1 American dollar- forgot to indicate the 1 and my omission was quickly noted- PM's are how you correct someone especially when there is uncertainty
In 1922, a loaf of bread cost 163 marks. By September 1923, during hyperinflation, the price crawled up to 1,500,000 marks and at the peak of hyperinflation, in November 1923, a loaf of bread costs 200,000,000,000 marks.  Cash sold by weight  Cash made good fuel  Last week's money discarded in the street  At least it provided toys for the children Given that there must be some 15,000 Notgelds there and a very low value of $8 each today. That's a minimum of $100,000 in CV. Who would have known when it was probably worth less than $1.
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Post by Deleted on Jan 24, 2017 13:19:22 GMT
Wertbeständiges
Notgeld denominated in gold, backed by US dollars or some other stable source of value. These notes were only issued for a brief period at the end of 1923 when the Mark had completely collapsed. The value in Dollars is shown on the Notgeld   Silk & Wood Notgelds![]()   BIELEFELD 1922 Silk / HADERSFELD 1920 Wood
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Post by Deleted on Feb 6, 2017 17:46:38 GMT
A few more Series Notgeld  BIELEFELD 1921 The Blacksmith of Bielefeld  FREIENWALDE 1920  GRONAU 1922 Starving Germans-Rich Dutchman  BRUNDE-ROTHENKRUG 1920 - Carnival game  BIELEFELD 1921 - The Kicking Donkey |
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Post by jimwentzell on Apr 18, 2020 2:51:07 GMT
As cash is becoming less desirable as a medium of exchange, I thought I'd try spreading these around my neighborhood. Mostly as a "tip" or thank you for a good deed. But I basically like educating people who might not know (or even care) about the Great Inflation of 1920-1923 Germany. I basically share the story with an example of a Notgeld along with a brief history and I sign the back and promise to "redeem" the Notgeld in a year for $5. An experiment in trust, economics, barter-ability. Basically an IOU or promissory note. I even "bought" a sandwich for one at a local bagel shop in exchange, with a little coaxing! Innovation is the mother of necessity, or something like that.....   "What's in YOUR wallet!?!?!" (here's mine)  |
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Beryllium Guy
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Post by Beryllium Guy on Mar 30, 2021 14:23:50 GMT
In response to a private request from Dave ( daveg28 ), I am giving this thread a bump. It seems that Dave has discovered some Notgeld in his big box lot. Perhaps Jim ( jimwentzell ) or Thales ( ausbrasilien ) or one of our Cinderella collectors ( Londonbus1 , daniel , cursus , others) can offer comments about Notgeld?  Notgeld from Austria sold on approval by stamp dealer H.E. Harris in the US back in the 1950s.
Edit: Many thanks to Werner ( salentin ) for pointing out that these Notgeld issues are actually from Austria and not Germany (see next post). This post has been corrected to reflect that, and the thread name has been revised to be more inclusive. |
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salentin
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collecting Germany,where I live and about 20 more countries,half of them in Asia east of the Indus
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Post by salentin on Mar 30, 2021 17:01:13 GMT
German,allright.But in this case it is Notgeld from Austria.(Kronen-Heller currency)
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Post by daniel on Apr 21, 2021 5:32:22 GMT
Actually, Chris Beryllium Guy and Dave daveg28 , I do have some of these, How did you guess?  If you're asking if they are valuable, I would say no. Notgeld from the 1920s are classified as the Collector series both from a German and Austrian point of view. The implication being that they were collected from the outset so many have survived. A quick look on ebay shows 1000s of lots, mostly at very affordable prices, typically £1 or £2 each. You can purchase a pdf Krause catalogue on ebay very cheaply, that would give a better answer as to values. There will be exceptions, I paid £30 for this silk German Bielefeid notgeld, printed on 2 pieces of silk then stitched together. I haven't worked out what's going on but President Woodrow Wilson is named/depicted (?) in one panel:  Scan_20210421 (3) by Daniel, on Flickr  Scan_20210421 (4) by Daniel, on Flickr I received these Austrian notgeld with a batch of Cinderella stamps:  Scan_20210421 (2) by Daniel, on Flickr To be honest, they're a little dull, lacking colour, apart from one. A set will often tell a story and occasionally you find some with a very interesting story... |
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daveg28
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What I collect: U.S., Canada, Great Britain & Commonwealth, France (esp. 1950-80), DDR, USSR
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Post by daveg28 on Apr 21, 2021 16:02:07 GMT
Actually, Chris Beryllium Guy and Dave daveg28 , I do have some of these, How did you guess? If you're asking if they are valuable, I would say no. Notgeld from the 1920s are classified as the Collector series both from a German and Austrian point of view. The implication being that they were collected from the outset so many have survived. A quick look on ebay shows 1000s of lots, mostly at very affordable prices, typically £1 or £2 each. You can purchase a pdf Krause catalogue on ebay very cheaply, that would give a better answer as to values. There will be exceptions, I paid £30 for this silk German Bielefeid notgeld, printed on 2 pieces of silk then stitched together. I haven't worked out what's going on but President Woodrow Wilson is named/depicted... Very interesting, Daniel. I did not really think they were valuable. They are still in the glassine they came in as an approval selection, and even then they had a pretty reasonable price. I'll probably put them up as trade material if someone is interested. |
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Post by daniel on Apr 22, 2021 5:14:58 GMT
This example of a German notgeld from 1920 is particularly interesting if not just a little confusing. At the top, there is a German inscription which reads 'Uk (or Uge in Danish) Community Voucher'. The bottom inscription is in Danish and reads 'By Law Land Must Be Built', a quote from Jutland's Law from 1241 introduced by King Valdemar II of Denmark. So, this notgeld relates to the Northern Schleswig Plebiscite of 1920 when that particular region, including Uge, was returned to Denmark.
The main image shows a dramatic scene but is a mix of different historical events. In 1219 Valdemar, probably depicted on the notgeld, won a victory over Estonia when, by legend, Dannebrog, the Danish Flag, fell from the sky. The rider in the red cloak is named as the Miller from Haystrup but was actually a county bailiff called Nis Hinrichsen who, in 1523, had to tell the people of Urnehoved that Duke Frederick had been elected king in place of Christian II. This news was not well received and he had to escape under a hail of arrows (he would have been protected by the chain mail that he was wearing). This is known to be true and his cloak with the arrows was displayed in Bylderup church until towards the end of the 19th century. A classic case of, literally, shooting the messenger. In the end Frederick was accepted as the new king.
 Scan_20210422 by Daniel, on Flickr
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cursus
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What I collect: Catalan Cinderellas. Used Switzerland, UK, Scandinavia, Germany & Austria. Postal History of Barcelona & Estonia. Catalonia pictorial postmarks.
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Post by cursus on May 7, 2021 7:09:24 GMT
Found somewhere and not sure of what is it. Isssued in Hamburg in 1921:
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stampsmurf
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Post by stampsmurf on Sept 10, 2023 13:39:13 GMT
Gutenberg Notgeld 10 Pfennig note Coat of Arms of the Gutenberg family on one side with Mainz on the reverse April 1921   5000000000 Mark note Gutenberg on one side, blank on the reverse October 1923   |
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stampsmurf
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Post by stampsmurf on Sept 10, 2023 13:58:57 GMT
Print related Notgeld Issued on 31 July 1921 in Pössneck 25 Pfennig note shows a web-fed rotary press   Issued on the same day as the 25 Pfennig note, the 50 Pfennig note shows compositors at frame and also a Linotype machine   A bit of background information (if needed) The first printing by metal type, as opposed to woodblocks, was done using single pieces of type (which had been individually cast) - set in place by a compositor. The Linotype machine set a line of type in a single casting operation. These were easier to set in place and so production speeded up immensely |
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stampsmurf
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Steve
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What I collect: Print related stamps, FDCs, maxicards and souvenir sheets etc. Anything Gutenberg related
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Post by stampsmurf on Sept 10, 2023 14:08:43 GMT
I don't know if I can post coins in this thread or not - hopefully yes, but can post elsewhere if a moderator informs me. Here is an example of print related Notgeld coinage. A 25 Pfennig coin from Hauptmannsche Druckerei (Hauptmanns Printing Works) dating from 1917   |
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stampsmurf
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Steve
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What I collect: Print related stamps, FDCs, maxicards and souvenir sheets etc. Anything Gutenberg related
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Post by stampsmurf on Sept 13, 2023 15:56:35 GMT
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hdm1950
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What I collect: I collect world wide up to 1965 with several specialty albums added due to volume of material I have acquired. At this point I am focused on Canada and British America. I am always on the lookout for stamps and covers with postmarks from communities in Queens County, Nova Scotia. I do list various goods including stamps occasionally on eBay as hdm50
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Post by hdm1950 on Sept 13, 2023 17:19:13 GMT
I was not aware of this thread. This banknote is not from Germany or Austria but for sure they played a part. They are really not a stamp but interesting none the less. I have listed this 1944 Allied Military Currency 5 franc banknote on my eBay site. There were several values of these printed in the United States for use after the Battle of Normandy. General Charles de Gaulle quickly became in charge in France and was not pleased with this emergency currency. He considered it counterfeit and so it quickly fell out of use. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/AM-Franc  |
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Post by daniel on Feb 1, 2024 20:12:27 GMT
German Notgeld depicting Baron Munchausen, 1920 To go with my small Baron Munchausen Cinderella stamps. From the numbering, they were issued for collectors in huge numbers. From Rinteln, Saxony.  |
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