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1 Mark
| Issuer | Magistrat Helmarshausen a/d Diemel |
|---|---|
| Year | 1921 |
| Type | Local banknote |
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| Obverse description | Brown letterpress Notgeld note framed by a decorative border with stylised tower vignettes at left and right and hatched corner ornaments. A central landscape vignette presents a view of Sababurg castle near Helmarshausen set amid trees and rolling hills. Below the vignette, the issuing authority text, date of issue (15 May 1921), validity date, and facsimile signatures of the Magistrat officials appear alongside a circular municipal seal at lower right. |
|---|---|
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| Reverse lettering | Schmied Helmbrecht treibt dem Tob Nägel durch Hand und Fuße Und den ernsten Blick der Herrin Hat Schmied Helmbrecht wohl verstanden, Nimmt entschlossen schnell das Werkzeug Und — die Wunden sind vorhanden. Andern Tags ruft's her vom Walde: Kommt und seht, was wir gefunden, Unserm lieben Herrn und Heiland Edelschön, mit allen Wunden! Und sie legen ihn mit Andacht Auf die grüngeschmückte Bahre, Tragen ihn nach Gottesbühren Hin zum heiligen Altare. |
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| Comments |
Helmarshausen an der Diemel is a small town on the Weser Uplands in what is now Hesse, and in 1921 its municipal magistrate was doing what hundreds of German local authorities were doing: filling the void left by a severe shortage of small-denomination Reichsmark coinage. This Kleingeldersatz — substitute small change — was a necessity, not an ambition. The national mint simply could not keep pace with demand as postwar inflation began eroding the purchasing power of existing coin.
Municipal notgeld of this type was typically valid only within the issuing locality and for a limited redemption window. Most circulated hard and fast, which is why intact examples from minor issuers like Helmarshausen are harder to source than the print runs might suggest.