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Old German Currency
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triceratops


Joined: 15 Nov 2006
Posts: 7934
Location: The other Nevada

Post Posted: Sat Jan 31, 2009 2:40 pm     Reply with quote

Would some of our German colleagues take a look at this old bill and let me know its background. It's dated 1922, but I suspect it was used quite a while pre-WWII. It doesn't seem to be called a Deutschemark, so what is its proper name and denomination?


Deutschemark copy.jpg
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uzuri


Joined: 12 Jun 2007
Posts: 520
Location: The Netherlands

Post Posted: Sat Jan 31, 2009 2:51 pm     Reply with quote

One thing is for sure, the 10.000 Mark note was worthless within a year. In 1923 Germany introduced banknotes with a value of millions and even billions of Marks as a result of inflation. Today you can buy these notes for around $10 :).


Quote:
10,000 Mark January 19, 1922 Reichsbanknote
Image reduced approximately 50%, note size 210mm x 124mm
In early 1922 10,000 Mark would buy over 250 Pounds of Meat.
By the end of the year it would buy only 5 pounds of Meat.
In June bread is 3.50 Mark a loaf.

When first issued in January of 1922 this note was the highest denomination of circulating currency ever issued by the German government. It would soon become small change. The note is sometimes called the "Vampire Note" . If you look carefully, and have a good imagination, you will see a vampire on the neck of the German worker. This was said to represent the French sucking the blood from Germany through the war reparations.


http://www.joelscoins.com/exhibger2.htm


Quote:
Front: Painting "Young Man's Portrait" by Albrecht Dürer (Alberto Durero);
Back: German coat of arms; Watermark: repeated pattern


http://www.banknotes.com/der72.htm
bred


Joined: 13 Jan 2008
Posts: 1654
Location: Scotland

Post Posted: Sat Jan 31, 2009 3:08 pm     Reply with quote

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/German_papiermark
jeffbanke


Joined: 18 Dec 2005
Posts: 17518
Location: www.xlr8photo.com, The real California

Post Posted: Sat Jan 31, 2009 3:15 pm     Reply with quote

Not as old as yours Russ, but now defunct German monetary notes! :)
triceratops


Joined: 15 Nov 2006
Posts: 7934
Location: The other Nevada

Post Posted: Sat Jan 31, 2009 4:06 pm     Reply with quote

Thanks for the comments. I figured this was right at the start of the rampant inflation period post WWI. Here's both the observe and reverse of this note. Vampire Note. I like that. Think this would do any good as a stock image?


Reichsbanknote.jpg
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stefaniemohr


Joined: 23 Feb 2008
Posts: 768
Location: Nuremberg, Germany

Post Posted: Sat Jan 31, 2009 6:04 pm     Reply with quote

@triceratops

Sorry, just came upon this topic.

The correct denomination is Reichsmark.

Between 1871 and 1945 Germany was officially called "Deutsches Reich" or "Deutsches Kaiserreich". Referring to the fact that it was the first time when there was one German national state, an empire reigned by an imperator Wilhelm I. thus the money was called Deutsche Reichsmark

@Jeff

Your picture always gives me a slightly strange feeling. When I saw it for the first time, I even looked it up in the cyclopaedia, because I thought that what you showed would be some impossible constellation. You mixed old and new banknotes. The 5-Deutsche-Mark banknote and the tenner further up in the picture (slightly more blue)used to go together. But the other 10-Deutsche-Mark is a new note. Though it might have happended for a very short periode of time that in rather rare occations you would stumble upon such a constellation, the old money was no longer given out by the German Federal Bank, after the new money as put on the market. So maybe you would prefer to reshoot the picture, making two of it, as it is two aeras mixed in one. Not sure whether I expressed myself properly for you to understand what I mean to say. :)
triceratops


Joined: 15 Nov 2006
Posts: 7934
Location: The other Nevada

Post Posted: Sat Jan 31, 2009 7:13 pm     Reply with quote

Thanks Stefanie. The following is the only other note I have from this period. Interesting in that it was first issued at the high point of the inflation period (October, 1923) but this note also contains the date of 30 January, 1937. Was inflation still a problem that late? And what is the denomination value of this note? It's 1 something, but although I can read a little German (very little), I don't recognize this value.


Rentenmark Combined.jpg
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yemeky


Joined: 07 Jun 2005
Posts: 592
Location: Country City

Post Posted: Sat Jan 31, 2009 11:33 pm     Reply with quote

triceratops, do you come from germany? Do you interested in collecting coins?
I like this collecting, maybe you can help me buying some germany coins, can you?
jeffbanke


Joined: 18 Dec 2005
Posts: 17518
Location: www.xlr8photo.com, The real California

Post Posted: Sun Feb 01, 2009 12:33 am     Reply with quote

stefaniemohr wrote:
@triceratops

Sorry, just came upon this topic.

The correct denomination is Reichsmark.

Between 1871 and 1945 Germany was officially called "Deutsches Reich" or "Deutsches Kaiserreich". Referring to the fact that it was the first time when there was one German national state, an empire reigned by an imperator Wilhelm I. thus the money was called Deutsche Reichsmark

@Jeff

Your picture always gives me a slightly strange feeling. When I saw it for the first time, I even looked it up in the cyclopaedia, because I thought that what you showed would be some impossible constellation. You mixed old and new banknotes. The 5-Deutsche-Mark banknote and the tenner further up in the picture (slightly more blue)used to go together. But the other 10-Deutsche-Mark is a new note. Though it might have happended for a very short periode of time that in rather rare occations you would stumble upon such a constellation, the old money was no longer given out by the German Federal Bank, after the new money as put on the market. So maybe you would prefer to reshoot the picture, making two of it, as it is two aeras mixed in one. Not sure whether I expressed myself properly for you to understand what I mean to say. :)


HI Stephanie,
I did actually realize that they were from different timeframes, having spent time in Germany for the some 35 years.
I made only the one image as none of the notes are currently in use.
I had forgotten about it until now, but I will take your advise and make two since your are right that someone may want an image of the different era monies. Thanks for bringing it to my attention! :)
stefaniemohr


Joined: 23 Feb 2008
Posts: 768
Location: Nuremberg, Germany

Post Posted: Sun Feb 01, 2009 3:31 am     Reply with quote

triceratops wrote:
Thanks Stefanie. The following is the only other note I have from this period. Interesting in that it was first issued at the high point of the inflation period (October, 1923) but this note also contains the date of 30 January, 1937. Was inflation still a problem that late? And what is the denomination value of this note? It's 1 something, but although I can read a little German (very little), I don't recognize this value.


This second one is not a banknote in the truest sence of the word. It is one Rentenmark, with Rentenmark being translated as "pension bank".

The pension bank notes were not a legal currency, however, they were to be accepted in the public cashes as a currency, and the legal regulations about monetary sign found use on them.

Legal currency still remained the paper marks which might not be increased after closing of the mark press any more arbitrarily for the purposes of the empire. The pension bank notes should serve alongside the traffic as a makeshift currency resistant to value.

The pension marks was coupled to the dollar with a fixed exchange rate of 4.2 pension marks for a dollar. A pension mark corresponded to a billion Mark from the inflation time.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/German_Rentenmark

I'm not sure whether the English version is absolutely correct. Ther seem to be some mistakes, but it might help you in understand anyway.

http://www.moneypedia.de/index.php/Rentenbank


Last edited by stefaniemohr on Sun Feb 01, 2009 3:42 am; edited 4 times in total
stefaniemohr


Joined: 23 Feb 2008
Posts: 768
Location: Nuremberg, Germany

Post Posted: Sun Feb 01, 2009 3:36 am     Reply with quote

jeffbanke wrote:


HI Stephanie,
I did actually realize that they were from different timeframes, having spent time in Germany for the some 35 years.


Didn't mean to be rude, just wanted to express that the picture somehow had a "strange" look to me.
werg


Joined: 21 Nov 2006
Posts: 31

Post Posted: Sun Feb 01, 2009 6:18 pm     Reply with quote

werg


Joined: 21 Nov 2006
Posts: 31

Post Posted: Sun Feb 01, 2009 6:19 pm     Reply with quote

triceratops


Joined: 15 Nov 2006
Posts: 7934
Location: The other Nevada

Post Posted: Sun Feb 01, 2009 10:00 pm     Reply with quote

yemeky wrote:
triceratops, do you come from germany? Do you interested in collecting coins?
I like this collecting, maybe you can help me buying some germany coins, can you?


Hi Yang. Sorry, but I'm not from Germany. These notes were buried in a box at a garage sale I was at back in the 70's. I didn't even know they were in the box. Just looked like a bunch of interesting stuff. There was even an old Egyptian amulet from Alexandria along with about a hundred old Chinese bronze coins from the 1930's. One of those surprise finds you just happen across once or twice in your lifetime.
triceratops


Joined: 15 Nov 2006
Posts: 7934
Location: The other Nevada

Post Posted: Sun Feb 01, 2009 10:03 pm     Reply with quote

Thanks again Stefanie. The term "Renten" was what threw me. Never came across it before. Interesting history.
 
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