1/2 Mark

Lübeck's municipal treasury issued this half-mark note as part of the wave of German Kleingeldersatz — small-change substitutes — that flooded local economies after World War One stripped metal coinage from circulation. By 1921 the German inflation spiral had already begun in earnest, and municipal bodies across the country were printing their own fractional notes simply to keep commerce moving at the street level.

Asmus Jessen, a Lübeck-based artist associated with the city's strong craft and applied-arts tradition, provided the design — a local commission rather than a generic engraver's stock plate.