1 Mark

Mulhouse had been German-administered territory since the Franco-Prussian War of 1870–71, and when war broke out in August 1914 the city found itself inside a contested zone — French forces briefly occupied parts of Alsace within days of the declaration. Municipal notgeld of this type emerged precisely because metallic coin vanished from circulation almost immediately under wartime hoarding pressure. The city treasury issued these notes on its own authority, with local printer Ch. Raby handling production entirely within Mülhausen.

French forces permanently retook Mulhouse in November 1918, after which German-language municipal paper became worthless overnight.