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10 Pfennig
| Issuer | Borkum, Municipality of |
|---|---|
| Year | 1920 |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | 10 Pfennigs (10 Pfennige) (0.10) |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| Obverse description | Cream paper with a diagonal blue band underprint running from lower left to upper right across the entire face, overlaid with a central circular vignette enclosing a view of the Borkum lighthouse above harbour buildings and a sailing vessel, with rays of light emanating from the lamp. The denomination numeral '10' appears in bold Gothic typeface at each corner, while 'Gutschein' in large ornate script occupies the top centre, flanked by 'Nordseebad' and 'Borkum', with '10 Pfg.' in decorative lettering to the lower right. The date '1. August 1920' is inscribed across the lower portion above the facsimile signature of the Bürgermeister and the issuing authority legend 'Der Gemeinderat.' |
|---|---|
| Obverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Reverse description | Cream paper with the same diagonal blue band underprint as the obverse, with four arrow-shaped ornamental vignettes at the cardinal points framing a large circular municipal seal at centre; the seal bears the legend 'SIGILLUM ECCLESIAE BORGUMANAE' around the perimeter and 'MED. TRANQ. IN. UND' within, enclosing a vignette of sailing vessels and a rocky coastline. Two humorous German proverbs in italic script are printed along the top and bottom margins, and the denomination numeral '10' appears in the design. |
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| Comments |
Borkum's 1920 Notgeld issues belong to the wave of municipal emergency money that flooded Germany following the post-WWI coin shortage — the Reichsbank's inability to keep small denomination coinage in circulation forced thousands of towns and communes to print their own. Borkum, a North Sea island off the East Frisian coast, was among the smaller issuers, and its notes circulated within a geographically contained economy almost entirely dependent on summer tourism and fishing.
The Gra#B78.4b suffix designation indicates a variant within the fourth subtype of the B78 series — likely a color or paper stock difference from its siblings. Island-issued Notgeld tends to survive in higher condition than mainland equivalents simply because fewer pieces were lost to the rough handling of industrial commerce.