Catalog
1 Pfennig Otto Martin - Cannstatt
| Issuer | Otto Martin, Cannstatt |
|---|---|
| Year | |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | 1 Pfennig (0.01) |
| Currency | Log in to see details |
| Composition | Log in to see details |
| Size | Log in to see details |
| Shape | Log in to see details |
| Printer | Log in to see details |
| Designer(s) | Log in to see details |
| Engraver(s) | Log in to see details |
| In circulation to | Log in to see details |
| Reference(s) | Log in to see details |
| Obverse description | Log in to see details |
|---|---|
| Obverse lettering | Gutschein 1 Pfg. Otto Martin, Cannstatt |
| Reverse description | Completely blank reverse of plain unprinted tan cardboard, bearing no text, vignette, or decorative elements whatsoever. |
| Reverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Signature(s) | Log in to see details |
| Protection type | Log in to see details |
| Protection description | Log in to see details |
| Variants | Log in to see details |
| Comments |
Otto Martin was a hardware and tools merchant based in Cannstatt — now a district of Stuttgart — who issued small-denomination cardboard Kleingeldersatz during the acute coin shortage that gripped Germany from around 1917 onward. These private merchant notgeld pieces were a purely practical response: small change had vanished from circulation as metal was diverted to wartime production, and businesses simply could not make transactions work without something to fill the gap.
Cardboard notgeld of this type rarely survived in quantity. Handled daily at shop counters, the material deteriorates fast.