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100 Goldmarks
| Issuer | Stadt-Sparkasse Bielefeld |
|---|---|
| Year | 1923 |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | 100 Mark |
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| Obverse description | Printed in black letterpress on red velvet with a serrated edge, the obverse bears the issuer's name 'Stadt-Sparkasse Bielefeld' in ornate script at the top, above a central vignette of two allegorical nude figures locked in combat with a large dragon, flanking the denomination numeral '100' within an oval cartouche, with scattered inscriptions identifying allegorical vices — Zwietracht, Neid, Gewinnsucht, Kriegsschuldlüge — interspersed throughout the composition. The bold denomination 'GOLDMARK' appears below the vignette, with 'HUNDERT GOLDMARK / CONTO 12' at lower left and the date 'BIELEFELD, 15. DEZEMBER 1923 / STADTRAT:' accompanied by a manuscript signature at lower right. Dense blocks of German verse text occupy the left and right margins, and the printer's imprint 'DRUCK: E. GUNDLACH A.-G., BIELEFELD — GESETZLICH GESCHÜTZT D.G.M.' appears at the base. |
|---|---|
| Obverse lettering | Stadt-Sparkasse Bielefeld ES ZAHLTE GEGEN DIESEN SCHECK AUS GUTHABEN AN UNS ODER ÜBERBRINGER 100 GOLDMARK HUNDERT GOLDMARK CONTO 12 BIELEFELD, 15. DEZEMBER 1923 STADTRAT: DRUCK: E.GUNDLACH A.-G., BIELEFELD — GESETZLICH GESCHÜTZT D.G.M. |
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| Comments |
Bielefeld's municipality issued a series of notgeld in unconventional materials during the hyperinflation of 1923, when paper itself had become nearly worthless as a medium. This velvet example is among the more striking surviving pieces from that experiment — not because velvet was considered elegant, but because fabric-based currency was a deliberate hedge: raw textile retained commodity value independent of the denomination printed on it.
Gundlach's local production kept costs low and turnaround fast, which mattered enormously in a period when denominations were being revised almost weekly.