10 Deutsche Mark

The Bank Deutscher Länder was the transitional central bank established by the Western Allied occupation authorities in 1948, before the Bundesbank existed. These notes were issued in the immediate aftermath of the June 1948 currency reform that replaced the thoroughly debased Reichsmark — one of the most consequential monetary resets in postwar European history. The American Bank Note Company's Ottawa, New York facility handled the contract, not an unusual arrangement given that West German printing infrastructure was still compromised.

The series is notoriously prone to edge toning and paper brittleness, attributed to the specific cotton stock used. Circulated examples frequently show diagonal fold stress at the center.